1 '  E  C  O  N  V  E 


H  |  Q 


1 


,  AT  IONS 


PERSONAL  PROPERTY 
OF 

A.  C.  WILLARD 


UNIVERSITY  OF 
ILLINOIS  LIBRARY 
AT  URBANA-GHAMPAIGN 
BOOKSTACKS 


THE  CONVERT 

AND  HIS 

RELATIONS 


BY 

L.  W.  Munhall,  M.A.,  D.D. 

(EVANGELIST) 

Author  of  “  Furnishing  for  Workers,”  “  Lord’s  Return  and  Kindred  Truth,” 
“  Highest  Critics  vs.  Higher  Critics,”  Anti-Higher  Criticism,”  Etc. 


With  an  Introduction  by 

BISHOP  WILLARD  F.  MALLALIEU 


NEW  YORK  :  EATON  &  MAINS 
CINCINNATI  :  JENNINGS  &  PYE 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1901,  by 

L.  W.  M  UNHALL, 

the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED. 


m.m 

Mqasc. 

no  I 


This  Volume  is  Dedicated  to 
My  Most  Highly  Esteemed  Friend  and  Brother 
William  J.  Erdman,  D.D., 

By  whom  i  have  been  instructed  in  many  of  the 

DEEP  THINGS  OF  GOD. 


L.  W.  MUNHALL. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


https://archive.org/details/converthisrelatiOOmunh 


PREFACE, 


In  my  evangelistic  work,  I  have  again  and  again 
wished  for  a  book  that  succinctly,  yet  comprehensively 
and  clearly,  gave  the  teaching  of  the  Word  of  God  con¬ 
cerning  the  relations  into  which  the  convert  had  come, 
that  could  be  put  into  his  hands  for  careful  study.  I 
have  believed  that  such  a  book  would  be  of  inestimable 
value  in  helping  the  convert  to  comprehend  and  under¬ 
stand  the  significance  of  his  repentance,  faith,  and  con¬ 
fession  of  Jesus  as  Saviour  and  Lord;  and  in  estab¬ 
lishing  him  in  all  his  ways.  I  sought  for  such  a  book, 
and,  failing  to  find  it,  resolved  to  attempt  the  task  of 
writing  it  myself.  This  volume  is  the  result.  I  have 
endeavored  to  make  it  scriptural ;  and  have,  therefore, 
used  the  very  language  of  the  Bible  as  much  as  possible. 
I  send  it  upon  its  mission  of  love,  with  the  prayer  that 
God  may  make  it  a  means  of  untold  good  in  settling 
and  confirming  many  in  “the  faith  which  was  once  for 
all  delivered  unto  the  saints.” 

L.  W.  Munhall. 

Germantown,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  January,  1901. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Introduction . .  9 

CHAPTER 

I.  The  Convert .  I3 

II.  His  Relations  to  Christ .  15 

III.  His  Relations  to  Christ  (Continued).... _  20 

IV.  His  Relations  to  Christ  (Continued) .  27 

V.  His  Relations  to  Christ  (Continued), .  44 

VI.  His  Relations  to  the  Holy  Spirit .  55 

VII.  His  Relations  to  the  Holy  Spirit  (Cont.).  62 
VIII.  His  Relations  to  the  Holy  Spirit  (Cont.).  73 

IX.  His  Relation  to  the  Church .  90 

X.  His  Relation  to  the  Bible . 107 

XI.  His  Relation  to  the  World .  138 

XII.  His  Relation  to  the  World  (Continued)....  150 

XIII.  His  Relation  to  the  Work .  175 

XIV.  His  Relation  to  the  Future .  182 


INTRODUCTION. 


It  is  a  great  and  precious  thing  to  be  a  convert. 

The  convert  is  no  longer  an  alien  from  the  common¬ 
wealth  of  Israel,  a  stranger  from  the  covenants  of 
promise,  having  no  hope,  and  without  God  in  the 
world ;  he  is  no  more  a  stranger  and  foreigner,  but  a 
fellow-citizen  with  the  saints,  and  of  the  household  of 
God,  and  is  built  upon  the  foundation  of  the  apostles 
and  prophets,  Jesus  Christ  himself  being  the  chief 
corner  stone.  The  convert  has  changed  his  relations. 

Converts  need  care,  encouragement,  and  instruction. 
For  lack  of  these 'many  who  run  well  for  a  season 
never  finish  the  course ;  they  faint  and  fall  out  by  the 
way.  For  lack  of  these  each  year  tens  of  thousands, 
who  without  doubt  are  soundly  converted,  wander  in 
darkness,  fall  into  temptation,  are  entrapped  in  the 
snares  of  the  devil,  and  in  due  time  return  to  the  mire 
of  sin.  It  is  high  time  that  we  had  more  books,  small, 
plain,  simple,  sympathetic,  and  scriptural,  that  might 
be  placed  in  the  hands  of  our  young  converts.  It 
must  never  be  forgotten  that  from  the  helpless  and 
hopeless  condition  involved  in  the  wreck  and  ruin  of 
the  Fall  to  the  possible  thrones  of  eternity  the  human 
soul  needs  the  continuous,  gracious,  divine,  omnipo¬ 
tent  help  of  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost.  Every 
true  convert  sustains  very  blessed,  special,  and  per¬ 
sonal  relations  to  each  person  of  the  adorable  Trinity. 

All  have  sinned  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God, 
or,  in  other  words,  there  is  no  human  soul  sufficiently 
intelligent  to  be  responsible  that  has  not  sinned  against 
the  holy  and  righteous  Governor  of  the  universe.  This 
consensus  of  human  opinion  appears  to  be  fully  sus¬ 
tained  by  widespread  and  long-continued  observation. 

There  are  certain  well-defined  and  almost  invariable 


IO 


IN  TROD  UC  TION. 


experiences  through  which  every  soul  must  pass  in 
order  to  come  to  the  condition  of  a  convert.  First 
of  all  enlightenment  of  the  mind  must  take  place. 
Without  light,  without  responsibility.  Light  comes  to 
every  responsible  soul  through  the  agency  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  “Nevertheless  I  tell  you  the  truth;  it  is  ex¬ 
pedient  for  you  that  I  go  away ;  for  if  I  go  not  away, 
the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto  you ;  but  if  I  depart, 
I  will  send  him  unto  you.  And  when  he  is  come,  he 
will  reprove  (convince,  convict)  the  world  (the  indi¬ 
vidual)  of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  of  judg¬ 
ment.”  The  Holy  Spirit  not  only  enlightens,  but  he 
also  causes  the  sinner  to  see  and  feel  his  guilt  and 
peril,  and  then  he  invites,  persuades,  and  draws  the 
sinner  to  the  right  way.  Thus  the  soul  comes  into 
personal  relations  with  the  Holy  Spirit. 

But  all  this  would  be  of  no  avail  without  the  re¬ 
demptive  work  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  No  man, 
however  enlightened  and  drawn,  can  save  himself. 
No  angel,  not  all  angels  combined,  could  save  a  single 
human  soul.  When  there  was  no  eye  to  pity  and  no 
arm  to  save  Jesus  the  Incarnate  God  tasted  death  for 
every  man;  he  satisfied  the  claims  of  a  just  and  holy 
law ;  he  made  it  possible  to  save  the  sinner  without 
destroying  the  moral  government  of  the  universe. 

“He  left  his  Father’s  throne  above, 

So  free,  so  infinite  his  grace ! 

Emptied  himself  of  all  but  love, 

And  bled  for  Adam’s  helpless  race; 

’Tis  mercy  all,  immense  and  free, 

For,  O  my  God,  it  found  out  me !” 

Tt  is  an  unspeakably  glorious  truth  that  all  souls  have 
been  redeemed  by  the  sufferings  and  death  of  Jesus. 

“His  blood  atoned  for  all  our  race, 

And  sprinkles  now  the  throne  of  grace.” 

Hence  every  son  and  daughter  of  Adam,  and  so  every 


INTRODUCTION. 


1 1 


convert,  holds  the  relation  to  Jesus  of  a  redeemed  soul. 
But  God  the  Father  sends  forth  the  Spirit  to  do  his 
work  on  human  minds  and  hearts  and  he  gives  his  Son 
as  the  supreme  sacrifice  of  infinite  love,  “That  who¬ 
soever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have 
everlasting  life.’' 

All  this  may  be  true  and  yet  the  soul  may  perish  in 
its  sins,  and  be  lost  forever.  There  is  something  to  be 
done  by  the  sinner  before  he  can  experience  converting 
grace.  First  of  all  he  must  repent  of  his  sins.  This 
involves  regret,  sorrow,  and  shame  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  God’s  holy  law  has  been  broken  and  his  love  and 
mercy  have  been  spurned.  But  repentance  involves 
the  exercise  of  the  will,  that  supreme,  Divine  quality  in 
man.  The  sinner  by  the  help  of  God  determines,  wills 
that  he  will  break  off  his  sins  by  righteousness,  and 
his  iniquities  by  turning  unto  God.  With  or  without 
feeling  he  settles  in  his  own  soul  the  question  and 
bows  in  love  and  loyalty,  and  records  his  solemn  vow 
that  from  henceforth  he  will  walk  in  all  the  ways  of 
God.  When  this  is  done  it  is  his  right  to  claim  the 
fulfillment  of  the  Divine  promise,  and  venturing  all 
into  the  hands  of  Jesus  for  time  and  eternity,  he  is 
accepted  in  the  name  of  the  beloved.  Now  he  is  a 
penitent,  believing  soul.  Now,  again  he  is  a  pardoned, 
justified,  and  regenerated  soul.  This  is  a  new  and 
threefold  relation  into  which  the  convert  comes,  for  he 
is  now  a  convert  indeed,  and  it  would  be  well  if  these 
three  relations  could  be  clearly  defined  in  all  discus¬ 
sions  of  the  experimental  spiritual  life.  True  they  are 
coetaneous,  but  they  are  not  identical.  They  always 
go  together.  They  are  each  and  all  essential  to  con¬ 
version.  In  this  way  the  sinner  becomes  a  convert 
and  the  convert  becomes,  or  is,  a  son  of  God.  To  the 
reality  of  this  in  due  time  the  Holy  Spirit  will  bear 
witness.  “For  the  Spirit  Himself  beareth  witness  with 
our  spirit,  that  we  are  the  children  of  God ;  and  if 


12 


INTRODUCTION. 


children  then  heirs;  heirs  of  God,  and  joint  heirs  with 
Christ."  This  is  a  new  and  blessed  relationship  to  the 
Holy  Spirit.  It  comes  to  every  faithful,  waiting  soul. 
It  may  be  the  manifestation,  or  witness,  will  vary 
greatly  in  different  cases,  but  the  Divine  promise  will 
be  fulfilled  to  all  who  hold  on  with  steadfast  faith. 
Under  these  circumstances  much  land  yet  lies  before 
the  convert  which  he  should  with  restless  desire  seek 
to  possess.  There  is  the  fullness  of  the  blessing  of 
the  Gospel,  holiness,  entire  sanctification,  heart  purity, 
the  uttermost  salvation.  Every  convert  ought  to 
understand  that  the  most  abundant  provision  has  been 
made  to  deliver  him  from  the  guilt,  the  pollution,  and 
the  power  of  sin;  that  his  nature  can  be  cleansed  so 
that  inbred  sin  shall  not  have  dominion  over  him ; 
that  his  spiritual  foes  can  all  be  cast  out  of  his  being, 
and  kept  on  the  outside  of  the  citadel  of  man-soul ;  that 
he  can  be  cleansed  from  all  sin;  that  his  whole  being 
can  be  permeated  and  utterly  filled  with  love ;  that  he 
can  be  made  perfect  in  love  in  this  life ;  that  he  can 
walk  with  God,  have  fellowship  with  Jesus  Christ,  and 
be  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit.  All  these  developments 
of  experience  imply  and  involve  the  unfolding  of  new 
and  blessed  and  exalted  relationships  with  the  Triune 
God.  And  all  this  is  possible  to  the  convert  in  this 
life.  But  beyond  the  present  is  the  resurrection,  the 
coronation,  the  glorification  of  all  God’s  saints — of  all 
faithful  converts.  “Beloved,  now  are  we  the  sons  of 
God,  and  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be ;  but 
we  know  that,  when  he  shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like 
him  ;  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is.”  And  then  we 
shall  go  on  and  on  forever,  from  glory  to  glory,  every 
passing  cycle  of  eternity  developing  new  possibilities 
of  relationship  to  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost.  May 
the  reading  of  this  book  help  all  who  con  its  pages  to 
come  to  the  realization  of  the  uttermost  possibilities 
of  redemption's  most  wonderful  plan. 


THE  CONVERT  AND  HIS 

RELATIONS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

T he  Convert* 

“  Except  ye  be  converted,  and  become  as  little  children,  ye  shall  not 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.” — Matt.  18  :  3. 

What  was  he?  He  was  “by  nature”  a  child  “of 
wrath,  even  as  the  rest”  (Eph.  2:3)  ;  an  enemy  of  God 
“by  wicked  works”  (Col.  1:21);  condemned  by  the 
law  (John  3:  18,  19)  ;  under  sentence  to  eternal  death 
(Ezek.  18:4,  20;  Rom.  6:23)  ;  and  utterly  unable  to 
make  himself  righteous  (Isa.  64:6),  satisfy  the  law’s 
demands  (Jer.  13:23),  or  save  himself  from  eternal 
ruin  (Rom.  7 :  24). 

What  is  he?  A  child  “of  God  by  faith  in  Christ 
Jesus”  (Gal.  3:  26)  ;  at  “peace  with  God  through  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ”  (Rom.  5 :  1)  ;  no  longer  under  con¬ 
demnation  (Rom.  8:1);  no  longer  in  danger  of  the 
“second  death”  (Rev.  2:11);  and  is  declared  to  be 
righteous  before  God  through  faith  in  Christ,  who  “is 
the  end  of  the  law  unto  righteousness  to  every  one  that 
believeth”  (Rom.  10:4);  a  sinner  saved  by  grace 
(Eph.  2  :  8,  9). 

How  did  he  become  a  convert?  Through  the 

preaching  of  the  Word  of  God  he  was  made  to  under- 

13 


14 


THE  CONVERT. 


stand  his  guilty  condition,  utter  ruin,  and  awful,  im¬ 
minent  peril ;  and  by  the  Holy  Spirit  was  convicted  “of 
sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment.”  This  con¬ 
viction  produced  sorrow  for  sin  and  anxiety  for  help 
and  safety,  which  led  to  a  resolve  to  turn  from  his  sin¬ 
ful  ways  unto  the  Lord ;  in  which  resolve  was  repent¬ 
ance  (metanoia) ,  a  change  of  mind.  Acting  upon  that 
resolve,  he  turned  and  committed  himself  “unto  the 
Lord”  to  “trust  also  in  him”  for  present  and  eternal 
salvation.  And  this  is  conversion  (epistrepho) ,  to 
turn  about  or  upon  (Acts  3:  19). 


AS  GOD. 


15 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  Convert's  Relations  to  Christ. 

As  God. 

“  For  this  cause  therefore  the  Jews  sought  the  more  to  kill  him,  be¬ 
cause  he  not  only  brake  the  sabbath,  but  also  called  God  his  own  Father, 
making  himself  equal  with  God.” — John  5  : 18. 

The  question  concerning  the  Deity  of  Jesus  is  of 
supreme  importance.  If  He  be  not  one  with  the  Fa¬ 
ther  in  essence,  majesty,  authority,  and  creative  energy, 
then  is  the  Christian  religion  little  or  no  better  than 
some  other  religions,  and  mankind  is  without  hope. 

The  arguments  in  proof  of  His  Deity  are  numerous 
and  convincing.  Of  course,  in  a  single  brief  chapter 
it  will  not  be  possible  to  give  all,  or  to  elaborate  those 
that  are  given.  But  here  are  enough  to  satisfy  a  can¬ 
did,  unprejudiced,  and  devout  inquirer  after  the  truth 
in  the  matter. 

First.  There  are  one  hundred  and  fifty-one  definite 
and  explicit  predictions  in  the  Old  Testament  concern¬ 
ing  Jesus,  His  birth,  His  life,  His  ministries,  His  death 
and  resurrection,  all  of  which  were  minutely  fulfilled 
according  to  the  historic  statements  of  the  New  Testa¬ 
ment. 

Second.  He  claimed  to  be  one  with  the  Father. 
Hear  Him :  “I  and  the  Father  are  one”  (John  10:  30)  ; 
‘'Before  Abraham  was,  I  am”  (John  8:  58)  ;  “He  that 
hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father”  (John  14:9). 
(Read  John  8:  13-59  and  14:6-31.) 

Third.  He  assumed  Divine  prerogatives.  Hear 


i6 


HIS  RELATION  TO  CHRIST 


Him :  “I  am  the  light  of  the  world :  he  that  followeth 
me  shall  not  walk  in  the  darkness,  but  shall  have  the 
light  of  life"  (John  8:  12) ;  “I  am  the  bread  of  life:  he 
that  cometh  to  me  shall  not  hunger'  (John  6:35); 
“Whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  shall  give 
him  shall  never  thirst ;  but  the  water  that  I  shall  give 
him  shall  become  in  him  a  well  of  water  springing  up 
unto  eternal  life"  (John  4:  14)  ;  “I  am  the  door:  by 
me  if  any  man  enter  in, he  shall  be  saved"  (John  10:9); 
and  “I  am  the  way,  and  the  truth,  and  the  life :  no  one 
cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  me”  (John  14:6).  If 
He  were  only  a  man  such  assumptions  would  make 
Him  a  blasphemer  and  the  most  presumptuous  person 
that  ever  lived,  and  far  from  being  even  a  good  man, 
proper  teacher,  or  exampler. 

Fourth.  He  made  good  all  He  claimed  for  Him¬ 
self,  and  verified  these  claims  by  the  miracles  He 
wrought.  These  miracles  were  not  performed  in  secret 
or  under  cover  of  darkness,  as  in  the  case  of  the  false 
teachers  who  claim  to  have  performed  miracles,  and 
were  not  limited  to  a  few  diseases  of  a  nervous  char¬ 
acter.  He  stilled  the  raging  tempest,  calmed  the  trou¬ 
bled  sea,  and  raised  the  dead  to  life;  and  demonstrated 
in  many  other  ways,  in  the  sight  of  the  people,  that 
He  was  possessed  of  Almighty  powers. 

Fifth.  The  testimony  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  by  the 
writers  of  the  New  Testament,  is  very  explicit  and  em¬ 
phatic  on  this  matter.  Take  this,  for  instance:  “Who 
is  the  image  of  the  invisible  God,  the  firstborn  of  all 
creation ;  for  by  him  were  all  things  created  that  are 
in  heaven,  and  that  are  in  earth,  visible  and  invisible, 


as  con. 


17 


whether  they  be  thrones,  or  dominions,  or  principal¬ 
ities,  or  powers:  all  things  were  created  by  him,  and 
for  him:  and  he  is  before  all  things,  and  by  him  all 
things  consist”  (Col.  1:15-17;  see  also  John  1:1-4; 
Heb.  1 : 1-4). 

Sixth.  I  once  heard  a  prominent  Unitarian  min¬ 
ister  say  this:  “It  is  impossible  to  prove  by  the  Bible 
that  Jesus  is  Deity  as  the  orthodox  people  claim,  ex¬ 
cept  by  the  testimony  of  John,  which  testimony  we 
impeach  since  it  was  not  given  until  he  was  in  his 
dotage.”  That  the  reader  may  see  how  utterly  untrue 
is  this  statement,  I  submit  the  following: 


“And  beginning  from  Moses  and  from  all  the  prophets,  he  interpreted 
to  them  in  all  the  scriptures  the  things  concerning  himself  ”  (Luke  24 :  27). 

Prediction.  Fulfillment. 


Deut.  18 :  15. 
Psa.  132  : 11. 
Isa.  9  :  6. 

Jer.  33  : 14,  15. 
Ezek.  34  :  23. 
Dan.  2 ;  44. 
Zech.  9  :  9. 


Acts  3:22,  24. 
Acts  2 :  29-36. 
Luke  2 :  io,  11. 
Gal.  4 :  4,  5. 
Heb.  13  :  20. 
Luke  1 :  32,  33. 
Matt.  21 : 5-9. 


Consider  also  some  additional  testimonies : 


First. 

Of  Simeon,  - 

Luke  2 : 25-32. 

Second. 

Of  Anna,  -  - 

Luke  2 :  38. 

Third. 

Of  John  the  Baptist,  - 

Mark  1 :  1-8. 

Fourth. 

Of  the  Angels, 

Luke  1 :  30-35 ;  2  :  8-1 1. 

Fifth. 

Of  the  Holy  Ghost,  - 

Matt.  3  :  16. 

Sixth. 

Of  the  Father, 

Matt.  3:17. 

Seventh. 

By  Himself, 

Mark  14  :  61,  62. 

Eighth. 

Of  Demons,  - 

Mark  1 :  23,  24  ;  3 :  11 ; 

Ninth. 

Of  Death,  - 

Luke  7  : 14,  15  ;  Mark 
27:52,  53- 

Tenth. 

Of  Nature,  - 

Matt.  27  :  45,  51  :  Mark 

Eleventh. 

Of  the  Centurion.  - 

Mark  15  :  36-39. 

Twelfth. 

Of  Peter, 

Matt.  16  :  16  ;  Acts  8  :  8 

Thirteenth. 

Of  Paul,  - 

Acts  9 :  20  :  Rom.  1 :  1,  t 

5:7. 


Seventh.  The  crowning  argument  as  to  His  Deity 

is  His  resurrection  from  the  dead.  Here  it  is  in  a  sin- 
2 


i8 


HIS  RELATION  TO  CHRIST. 


gle  sentence :  “Paul,  a  servant  of  Jesus  Christ,  called  to 
be  an  apostle,  separated  unto  the  gospel  of  God,  which 
he  promised  afore  by  his  prophets  in  the  holy  scrip¬ 
tures,  concerning  his  Son,  who  was  born  of  the  seed 
of  David  according  to  the  flesh,  who  was  declared  to  be 
the  Son  of  God  with  power,  according  to  the  spirit  of 
holiness,  by  the  resurrection  of  the  dead”  (Rom.  i :  1-4). 

King  David  predicted  it  in  Psalm  16:8-10.  Peter 
on  the  Day  of  Pentecost  declared  that  this  predic¬ 
tion  had  been  fulfilled ;  for,  after  quoting  it,  he  said : 
“This  Jesus  did  God  raise  up,  whereof  we  all  are  wit¬ 
nesses”  (Acts  2:29-32).  Jesus  Himself  predicted  it. 
(See  John  2:19,  21.)  Paul  said:  “For  I  delivered 
unto  you  first  of  all  that  which  I  also  received,  how 
that  Christ  died  for  our  sins  according  to  the  scrip¬ 
tures  ;  and  that  he  was  buried ;  and  that  he  hath  been 
raised  on  the  third  day  according  to  the  scriptures; 
and  that  he  appeared  to  Cephas;  then  to  the  twelve; 
then  he  appeared  to  above  five  hundred  brethren  at 
once,  of  whom  the  greater  part  remain  until  now,  but 
some  are  fallen  asleep;  then  he  appeared  to  James; 
then  to  all  the  apostles;  and  last  of  all,  as  unto  one 
born  out  of  due  time,  he  appeared  to  me  also”  ( 1  Cor. 
15:  3-8)- 

The  Lord  appeared  to  His  disciples  thirteen  times 
after  His  resurrection.  He  was  seen  by  Mary  Mag¬ 
dalene,  Peter,  John,  the  two  on  the  way  to  Emmaus, 
the  ten  apostles,  the  eleven,  James,  the  five  hundred 
at  once,  the  seven  by  the  sea  of  Galilee,  the  disciples 
on  the  mount  of  ascension,  and  by  Stephen,  Paul,  and 
John. 


AS  GOD. 


19 


The  authorities  on  evidence  are  uniformly  agreed 
that  no  fact  of  history  is  more  clearly  proven.  Bab¬ 
bage  (Bridgewater  Treatises,  ix)  shows  by  mathe¬ 
matical  calculation  that  the  concurrent  unbiased  testi¬ 
mony  of  only  twenty-five  men,  who  tell  the  truth  ten 
times  as  often  as  they  lie,  in  matters  of  sufficient  conse¬ 
quence  to  make  them  careful,  is  enough  to  outweigh 
antecedent  probability  of  a  billion  to  one  against  the 
event  to  which  they  testify.  Now  then,  here  are  more 
than  five  hundred  men,  only  one  of  whom  was  ever 
known  to  lie,  and  he  only  on  one  occasion,  who  give 
most  explicit  and  positive  testimony  to  the  most  im¬ 
portant  event  of  all  history,  and  their  testimony  agrees 
in  every  particular.  Mathematically  it  is  a  demonstra¬ 
tion. 

Since  Jesus  is  God,  it  is  the  convert’s  glorious  priv¬ 
ilege  to  worship  Him,  and  his  exalted  duty  to  serve 
Him.  He  should  cultivate  the  worshipful  spirit  by 
meditating  much  upon  the  attributes  of  God — His 
omnipotence,  omnipresence,  and  omniscience ;  and  ac¬ 
quire  the  glad,  whole-hearted  willingness  in  service 
that  should  ever  characterize  the  servants  of  the  Lord, 
by  thinking  much  upon  the  love,  mercy,  and  infinite 
benevolence  of  God.  “For  verily  the  Son  of  man  came 
not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister,  and  to 
give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many”  (Mark  10:45). 


20 


HIS  DELATION  TO  CHRIST. 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  Convert's  Relations  to  Christ* — ( Continued ♦) 

As  Redeemer. 

“  Christ  redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  having  become  a  curse 
for  us  :  for  it  is  written,  Cursed  is  every  one  that  hangeth  on  a  tree.” — 
Gal.  3  :  13. 

God’s  "‘law  is  holy,  and  the  commandment  holy,  and 
just,  and  good”  (Rom.  7:  12).  God’s  laws  are  inexor¬ 
able  in  their  demands,  and  justice  knows  no  element  of 
mercy.  “Whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also 
reap”  (Gal.  6:7).  “The  wages  of  sin  is  death”  (Rom. 
6:23).  “The  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die”  (Ezek. 
18:4). 

God’s  Word  declares,  “All  have  sinned  and  come 
short  of  the  glory  of  God”  (Rom.  3:23).  “For 
there  is  not  a  just  man  upon  earth,  that  doeth  good, 
and  sinneth  not”  (Eccl.  7:20).  And,  “If  we  say  that 
we  have  not  sinned,  we  make  him  a  liar,  and  his  word 
is  not  in  us”  (1  John  1:10).  (See  also  Gen.  6:5; 
Psa.  14:  1-3;  Rom.  3:9-19;  and  Eph.  4:  17-19.) 

It  is  also  unalterably  and  solemnly  true  that  man 
cannot  satisfy  the  demands  of  the  laws  he  has  violated, 
and  is  therefore  involved  in  hopeless  ruin.  (See  Jer. 
13:23;  Mic.  6:5,  6;  Phil.  3:3-11;  Rom.  7:24;  Psa. 
49:  7-9;  etc.) 

Because  of  these  three  sublime  and  awful  facts,  i.  c.f 
the  holy  and  inexorable  character  of  God’s  laws,  that 
“There  is  none  righteous,  no,  not  one”  (Rom.  3:  10), 
and  man’s  utter  helplessness,  a  Redeemer  was  an  abso- 


AS  REDEEMER. 


21 


lute  necessity  to  the  sinner  for  peace,  justification,  and 
heaven. 

With  the  committing  of  the  first  sin  came  a  promise 
of  a  Redeemer — “The  seed  of  the  woman  shall  bruise 
the  serpent’s  head” — not  the  seed  of  the  man:  had  it 
been,  it  would  have  been  incapable  and  insufficient. 
“The  angel  answered  and  said  unto  her,  The  Holy 
Ghost  shall  come  upon  thee,  and  the  power  of  the 
Most  High  shall  overshadow  thee :  wherefore  also  that 
which  is  to  be  born  shall  be  called  holy,  the  Son  of 
God”  (Luke  1:35).  All  along  the  line  of  predictive 
prophecy  the  promise  of  a  Redeemer  was  reiterated 
again  and  again.  The  bleeding  victims,  smoking  altars, 
multitudinous  offerings,  and  magnificent  ritual  of  the 
old  economy  illustrated  this  great  predicted  truth,  and 
enforced,  continually,  the  same  wonderful  and  glorious 
lesson.  It  was  further  emphasized  by  the  organic  law 
by  which  the  chosen  people  were  governed — of  serv¬ 
ants  (Lev.  25:49,  54),  of  lands  (Lev.  25:27),  of 
names  (Deut.  25:59),  and  of  beasts  (Exod.  13:  13). 
In  yet  other  ways  God  kept  before  the  minds  of  this 
people  the  sublime  truth  of  redemption,  until,  “When 
the  fullness  of  time  came,  God  sent  forth  his  Son,  born 
of  a  woman,  born  under  the  law,  to  redeem  them  that 
were  under  the  law,  that  we  might  receive  the  adoption 
of  sons  ”(Gal.  4:4,  5). 

The  Mode  of  Redemption. 

Death  is  everywhere  in  the  Bible  declared  to  be  a  pen¬ 
alty  of  sin.  We  have  seen  that  the  law  is  inexorable  in 
its  demands.  The  law  imperatively  demands  life  for  its 


22 


HIS  RELATION  TO  CHRIST 


infraction.  God  tells  us,  “The  life  of  the  flesh  is  in 
the  blood:  and  I  have  given  it  to  you  upon  the  altar, 
to  make  an  atonement  for  your  souls:  for  it  is  the 
blood  that  maketh  an  atonement  by  reason  of  the  life 
(Lev.  17:  n)  ;  “And  almost  all  things  are  by  the  law 
purged  with  blood :  and  without  shedding  of  blood 
is  no  remission'’  (Heb.  9:22).  In  accordance  with 
this  law  Jesus  the  Christ  shed  His  blood — gave  “His 
life  a  ransom  for  many”  (Matt.  20:28).  “In  whom 
we  have  redemption  through  his  blood”  (Eph.  1:7 
and  Col.  1 :  14).  “Ye  know  that  ye  were  not  redeemed 
with  corruptible  things  as  silver  and  gold  .  .  .  but 
with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ,  as  of  a  Lamb  with¬ 
out  blemish  and  without  spot”(i  Pet.  1 :  18,  19).  “And 
they  sung  a  new  song,  saying,  Thou  are  worthy  to  take 
the  book,  and  to  open  the  seals  thereof :  for  thou  wast 
slain,  and  hast  redeemed  us  to  God  by  thy  blood,  out 
of  every  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  and  nation” 
(Rev.  5:9).  Therefore,  when  it  is  said,  “And  the 
Lord  hath  laid  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all”  (Isa. 
53 :  6)  ;  “Who  his  own  self  bare  our  sins  in  his  body 
upon  the  tree,  that  we,  having  died  unto  sins,  might 
live  unto  righteousness :  by  whose  stripes  we  are 
healed”  ( 1  Pet.  2 :  24)  ;  “Him  who  knew  no  sin  he  made 
to  be  sin  on  our  behalf ;  that  we  might  become  the 
righteousness  of  God  in  him”  (2  Cor.  5:21);  and, 
“Christ  also  suffered  for  sins  once,  the  righteous  for 
the  unrighteous,  that  he  might  bring  us  to  God ;  be¬ 
ing  put  to  death  in  the  flesh,  but  quickened  in  the 
Spirit”  (1  Pet.  3:  18)  ;  it  is  to  be  understood  that  the 
repentant,  believing  sinner  may  go  free — “Being  justi- 


AS  REDEEMER. 


23 


fied  freely  by  his  grace  through  the  redemption  that  is 
in  Christ  Jesus:  whom  God  set  forth  to  be  a  propitia¬ 
tion,  through  faith,  by  his  blood,  to  show  his  righteous¬ 
ness,  because  of  the  passing  over  of  the  sins  done  afore¬ 
time,  in  the  forbearance  of  God;  for  the  showing,  I 
say,  of  his  righteousness  at  this  present  season:  that 
he  might  himself  be  just,  and  the  justifier  of  him  that 
hath  faith  in  Jesus.  Where  then  is  the  glorying?  It  is 
excluded.  By  what  manner  of  law?  of  works?  Nay: 
but  by  the  law  of  faith.  We  reckon  therefore  that  a 
man  is  justified  by  faith  apart  from  the  works  of  the 
law”  (Rom.  3:24-28). 

Notice  seven  things  true  of  this  redemption: 

It  was  timely. 

“But  when  the  fullness  of  time  was  come,  God  sent 
forth  his  Son  born  of  a  woman,  born  under  the  law,  to 
redeem  them  that  were  under  the  law,  that  we  might 
receive  the  adoption  of  sons”  (Gal.  4:4,  5). 

It  is  satisfactory. 

“For  Christ  is  the  end  of  the  law  for  righteousness 
to  every  one  that  believeth”  (Rom.  10:4). 

Every  demand  of  every  law,  the  repentant,  believing 
sinner  has  violated,  is  as  certainly  and  completely  met, 
judicially,  in  the  redemption  “through  the  blood  of 
his  cross”  (Col.  1:20),  as  though  that  sinner  died 
eternally,  as  die  he  must  if  he  refuses  to  avail  himself 
of  the  benefits  of  the  passion  of  our  Lord  (Acts  4:  12). 

It  is  perfect. 

“But  Christ  being  come  an  high  priest  of  good  things 
to  come,  by  a  greater  and  more  perfect  tabernacle,  not 


24 


HIS  RE  LA  TION  TO  CHRIST 

made  with  hands,  that  is  to  say,  not  of  this  building; 
neither  by  the  blood  of  goats  and  calves,  but  by  his 
own  blood,  he  entered  in  once  into  the  holy  place,  hav¬ 
ing  obtained  eternal  redemption  for  us”  (Heb.  9: 
11,  12). 

The  “gifts  and  sacrifices”  of  the  former  times,  “could 
not  make  him  that  did  the  service  perfect,  as  pertaining 
to  the  conscience/'  for  the  simple  reason  that  the  of¬ 
ferings  were  inadequate  to  the  demands  of  the  law,  be¬ 
ing  only  types  and  figures,  and  offered  by  men.  But 
the  offering  Jesus  made  of  Himself  is  like  everything 
God  has  made,  absolutely  perfect. 

It  is  personal. 

“For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only 
begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should 
not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life”  (John  3 :  16). 

When  God  “laid  upon  him  the  iniquities  of  us  all” 
He  had  each  individual  soul  of  man  in  mind ;  and  Jesus 
as  certainly  bore  the  individual  sinner’s  sins  “in  his 
own  body  on  the  tree” -as  that  He  loved  all  and  died  for 
all.  He  would  have  done  what  He  did  had  there  been 
but  one  sinner  on  earth ;  and  it  would  have  been  quite 
as  necessary  that  He  should,  as  that  He  did  die  for  all. 

It  is  universal. 

“But  we  see  Jesus,  who  was  made  a  little  lower  than 
the  angels  because  of  the  suffering  of  death,  crowned 
with  glory  and  honor,  that  he  by  the  grace  of  God 
should  taste  death  for  every  man”  (Heb.  2 :  9). 

Redemption  and  salvation  are  oftentimes  con¬ 
founded.  They  do  not  signify  the  same  thing.  They 


AS  REDEEMER. 


25 


are  as  widely  removed  from  each  other  as  life  and 
death.  All  men  are  redeemed,  in  the  sense  that  atone¬ 
ment  has  been  provided  for  all,  since  Jesus  died  for 
all,  but  all  are  not  saved,  since  all  will  not  repent  and 
believe.  Jesus  said,  “Ye  will  not  come  to  me  that 
ye  may  have  life."'  “Repentance  toward  God,  and  faith 
toward  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ’ 1  (Acts  20:21),  are  reck¬ 
oned  as  certainly  elements  in  the  procuring  cause  of 
our  salvation,  as  the  redemption  accomplished  by  the 
merciful  Saviour. 

It  is  finished. 

“For  Christ  is  not  entered  into  a  holy  place  made 
with  hands,  like  in  pattern  to  the  true,  but  into  heaven 
itself,  now  to  appear  before  the  face  of  God  for  us ; 
nor  yet  that  he  should  offer  himself  often ;  as  the  high 
priest  entereth  into  the  holy  place  year  by  year  with 
blood  not  his  own ;  else  must  he  often  have  suffered 
since  the  foundation  of  the  world :  but  now  once  in  the 
end  of  the  ages  hath  he  been  manifested  to  put  away 
sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself  '  (Heb.  9 :  24-26). 

While  on  earth  “Jesus  saith  unto  them,  My  meat  is 
to  do  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me,  and  to  finish  his 
work”  (John  4:34).  “When  Jesus  therefore  had  re¬ 
ceived  the  vinegar,  he  said,  It  is  finished,  and  he  bowed 
his  head,  and  gave  up  his  spirit”  (John  19:30).  And 
so  there  is  naught  for  the  sinner  to  do  to  propitiate 
God,  for  since  Jesus  bowed  his  head  upon  Golgotha's 
cross  “He  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins ;  and  not  for 
ours  only,  but  also  for  the  whole  world”  ( 1  John  2:2). 

It  is  eternal. 

“But  through  his  own  blood,  entered  in  once  for  all 


26 


HIS  RELATION  TO  CHRIST 


into  the  holy  place,  having  obtained  eternal  redemp¬ 
tion"  (Heb.  9:  1 2).  It  is  called  “eternal  redemption’’ 
because  its  benefits  are  eternal.  “And  grieve  not  the 
Holy  Spirit  of  God,  whereby  ye  are  sealed  unto  the  day 
of  redemption"  (Eph.  4:30).  A  time  yet  future. 
“Which  is  an  earnest  of  our  inheritance,  unto  the  re¬ 
demption  of  God’s  own  possession”  (Eph.  1:14). 
“And  not  only  so,  but  ourselves  also,  which  have  the 
firstfruits  of  the  Spirit,  even  we  ourselves  groan  within 
ourselves,  waiting  for  our  adoption,  to  wit,  the  re¬ 
demption  of  our  body"  (Rom.  8:23).  For  “The  dead 
shall  be  raised  incorruptible,  and  we  shall  be  changed” 
(1  Cor.  15:52).  We  have  the  sure  promises  of  God 
to  this  effect,  and  the  “earnest  of  the  Spirit,”  and  “Two 
immutable  things,  in  which  it  is  impossible  for  God 
to  lie,  we  may  have  a  strong  encouragement,  who  have 
fled  for  refuge  to  lay  hold  of  the  hope  set  before  us; 
which  we  have  as  an  anchor  of  the  soul,  a  hope  both 
sure  and  steadfast  and  entering  into  that  which  is  with¬ 
in  the  veil;  whither  as  a  forerunner  Jesus  entered  for 
us.” 

Now  then,  what  is  the  relation  of  the  convert  to 
Jesus  the  Redeemer?  Why,  he  is  to  ever  remember 
that  Jesus  has  “purchased  him  with  his  own  blood” 
(Acts  20:28)  ;  and,  knowing  “Ye  are  not  your  own, 
for  ye  were  bought  with  a  price,”  in  utter  and  irre¬ 
versible  abandonment  to  Jesus,  recognize  God’s  pro¬ 
prietary  right  in  him,  and  do  his  very  best  to  “glorify 
God”  in  his  body  (1  Cor.  7:20,  R.  V.). 


AS  SAVIOUR. 


27 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Convert's  Relations  to  Christ* — ( Continued .) 

As  Saviour. 

“  Wherefore  he  is  able  also  to  save  them  to  the  uttermost  that  come 
unto  God  by  him,  seeing  he  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for  them.”— 
Heb.  7  : 25. 

There  is  salvation,  and  salvation,  and  salvation. 
Therefore  when  speaking  of  salvation  we  should  be 
careful  to  explain  of  what  salvation  we  are  speaking. 

First.  Present  salvation.  This  includes  justifi¬ 
cation  and  the  new  birth.  Justification  is  a  judicial  act 
on  the  part  of  Almighty  God,  by  which  He  passes  over 
the  believer’s  sins  and  reckons  them  as  though  they 
never  were,  casting  them  into  the  blissful  oblivion  of 
His  forgetfulness,  because  Jesus  became,  through  His 
redeeming  work,  “the  end  of  the  law  for  righteousness 
to  every  one  that  believeth”  (Rom.  10:4);  and 
though  the  law  demands  the  sinner’s  life,  yet  is  it 
possible  for  God  to  “be  just,  and  the  justifier  of  him 
which  believeth  in  Jesus”  (Rom.  3  :  26). 

John  Wesley  once  said:  “Justification  implies  a  con¬ 
viction  that  God  was  in  Christ  reconciling  the  world 
unto  Himself — a  sure  confidence  and  trust  that  Jesus 
loved  me  and  gave  Himself  for  me ;  and,  at  what  time 
soever  the  sinner  thus  believes,  be  it  in  his  early  child¬ 
hood,  in  the  strength  of  his  years ;  or  when  he  is  old 
and  hoary-headed,  God,  for  the  sake  of  His  Son,  par- 
doneth  and  absolveth  him  who  had  in  him  till  then  no 
good  thing.” 


2  8 


HIS  RELATION  TO  CHRIST. 


The  new  birth  is  the  result  of  the  Spirit's  work  in 
the  believer,  whereby  he  is  made  “partaker  of  the  di¬ 
vine  nature”  (2  Pet.  1 :  4)  ;  so  that  he  becomes  “a  new 
creature :  the  old  things  are  passed  away :  behold,  they 
are  become  new”  (2  Cor.  5:  17)  ;  saved  “by  the  wash¬ 
ing  of  regeneration,  and  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
which  he  shed  on  us  abundantly,  through  Jesus  Christ 
our  Saviour:  that,  being  justified  by  his  grace,  we 
should  be  made  heirs  according  to  the  hope  of  eternal 
life”  (Titus  3:5-7). 

Richard  Watson  once  said:  “Regeneration  is  that 
mighty  change  in  man  wrought  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  by 
which  the  dominion  which  sin  has  over  him  in  his 
natural  state,  and  which  he  deplores  and  struggles 
against  in  his  present  state,  is  broken  and  abolished ; 
so  that,  with  full  choice  of  will  and  the  energy  of  right 
affections,  he  serves  God  freely,  and  runs  in  the  way 
of  His  commandments.” 

While  these  works  are  distinct,  they  are  simultane¬ 
ous.  No  one  ever  was  justified  who  was  not  at  the 
same  time  “born  again,"  as  no  one  ever  was  “born 
again"  who  was  not  at  the  same  time  justified.  There¬ 
fore  is  the  convert  saved.  For,  “By  him  all  that  be- 
lieve  are  justified”  (Acts  13:39);  “Therefore  being 
justified  by  faith”  (Rom.  5:1);  and,  “Whosoever  be- 
lieveth  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  is  born  of  God” 
( 1  John  5:1);  and,  “You  hath  he  quickened  who  were 
dead  in  trespasses  and  sins”  (Eph.  2:1);  “For  by 
grace  have  ye  been  saved  through  faith”  (Eph. 
2:8);  and,  “P»v  which  also  ye  are  saved”  (1  Cor. 
15:2) — saved  from  the  guilt  of  sin  in  justification, 


AS  SAVIOUR . 


29 


and  from  spiritual  death  in  the  regeneration  and  new 
birth. 

Second.  Progressive  salvation.  “And  the  Lord 
added  to  them  day  by  day  those  that  were  being  saved” 
(Acts  2:47)  i  “For  we  are  a  sweet  savor  of  Christ 
unto  God  in  them  that  are  being  saved’’  (2  Cor.  2 :  15). 
Saved  moment  by  moment  from  the  domination  of  sin 
that  it  should  not  “reign  in  your  mortal  body  that  ye 
should  obey  it  in  the  lusts  thereof”  (Rom.  6:  12-14)  ; 
“Through  sanctification  of  the  Spirit  and  belief  of  the 
truth”  (2  Thess.  2:  13). 

Third.  Final  salvation.  “But  he  that  endureth 
to  the  end,  the  same  shall  be  saved”  (Matt.  10:22). 
Salvation  from  death,  the  grave,  and  hell,  into  the  in¬ 
comparable  glories  of  the  heavenly  life. 

Therefore,  when  we  speak  of  present  salvation  we 
are  not  talking  of  sanctification  or  glorification,  but  of 
justification  and  regeneration  and  the  new  birth.  The 
convert  is  justified  and  born  of  God.  He  has  the  sure 
word  of  promise  that  God’s  “grace  is  sufficient”  for 
every  day  and  trial  and  all  holy  living.  (See  Jude  24.) 
He  also  is  assured  of  final  salvation  “If  so  be  ye  con¬ 
tinue  in  the  faith,  grounded  and  steadfast,  and  not 
moved  away  from  the  hope  of  the  gospel”  (Col.  1 :  23)  ; 
and  is  exhorted  to  “Fight  the  good  fight  of  faith,  lay 
hold  on  eternal  life”  (1  Tim.  6:2).  But  it  is  all 
through  Jesus  as  Saviour.  “And  in  none  other  is 
there  salvation :  for  neither  is  there  any  other  name 
under  heaven,  that  is  given  among  men,  whereby  we 
must  be  saved”  (Acts  4:  12). 

But  it  is  all  of  faith.  We  are  saved  by  faith  (Acts 


30 


HIS  RELATION  TO  CHRIST 


16:  31).  We  live  by  faith  (Rom.  1:  17).  “We  walk 
by  faith”  (2  Cor.  5:7).  We  stand  by  faith  (2  Cor. 
1 :  24).  We  overcome  by  faith  (1  John  5 :  4,  5).  "But 
if  any  man  draw  back,  my  soul  shall  have  no  pleas¬ 
ure  in  him.  But  we  are  not  of  them  who  draw  back 
into  perdition :  but  of  them  that  believe,  to  the  saving 
of  the  soul”  (Heb.  10:  38,  39).  Faith  in  Jesus  as  Sav¬ 
iour  divine ;  who  redeemed  us  by  His  precious  blood ; 
and  "able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  them  that  draw  near 
unto  God  through  him,  seeing  he  ever  liveth  to  make  in¬ 
tercession  for  them”  (Heb.  7:25). 

Since  there  is  no  sufficient  reason  for  doubting  that 
the  convert  is  justified  and  born  again,  the  only  ques¬ 
tion  that  can  be  properly  raised  is  with  regard  to  his 
faith :  is  it  the  right  sort  ?  Let  us  look  into  this  matter 
a  little,  for  it  is  of  transcendent  importance. 

First.  How  believe? 

"With  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteousness” 
(Rom.  10:4).  Heart  belief  is  more  than  an  intel¬ 
lectual  assent  of  the  mind  to  what  we  believe  upon  cred¬ 
ible  testimony  to  be  historically  true.  It  is  abandoning 
one’s  self  utterly  to  the  object  and  exercise  of  faith. 
If  one  says,  "I  believe  in  Jesus  Christ  as  Deity ;  that 
He  loved  me  and  gave  Himself  for  me,”  and  is  unwill¬ 
ing  to  forsake  all  known  sins  and  sinful  ways  uncom¬ 
promisingly,  his  faith  is  only  of  the  head ;  it  is  "vain,” 
he  is  yet  in  his  sins  (1  Cor.  15:  14-17).  God  says, 
"Let  him  that  stole  steal  no  more”  (Eph.  4:28)  ;  and, 
"Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way,  and  the  unrighteous 
man  his  thoughts”  (Isa.  55 : 7 ) .  It  is  not  thinkable 


AS  SAVIOUR, 


3i 


that  one  can  be  a  Christian  and  love  sin  and  sinful  ways. 
Therefore,  if  one  believes  on  Jesus  as  Saviour,  with 
the  heart,  sin  will  become  hideous  and  heinous,  and  he 
will  loathe  it  and  desire  deliverance  from  its  guilt  and 
pollution  as  well  as  domination  and  ultimate  conse¬ 
quence.  And  if  such  is  not  his  feeling  toward  and 
thought  of  sin  he  may  thereby  know  his  faith  is  not 
of  the  heart.  God  does  not  require  one  to  abandon 
sin  and  sinful  ways  in  order  to  be  saved,  or  else  salva¬ 
tion  would  not  be  for  those  bound  by  appetite  and  pas¬ 
sion  ;  but  he  requires  the  sinner  to  be  willing  to  do  so ; 
and  he  is  either  willing  or  unwilling.  Repentance  lies 
in  the  willingness  to  do  so.  As  long  as  he  remains 
unwilling  it  is  impossible  for  him  to  believe  aright. 
As  soon  as  he  is  willing  believing  becomes  at  once  both 
natural  and  easy ;  and,  afterward,  by  God's  grace,  which 
“is  sufficient,"  he  can  break  away  from  his  sinful  ways, 
as  before  he  possibly  could  not.  “If  any  man  willeth 
to  do  his  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  teaching"  (John 
7: 17). 

Also,  if  one  claims  to  believe  on  Jesus  as  Saviour 
and  Lord,  and  refuses  immediate  and  absolute  obedi¬ 
ence,  his  faith  is  “vain,"  he  is  yet  in  his  sins.  It  is 
not  thinkable  that  one  can  be  a  Christian  and  hesitate 
or  refuse  to  obey  God.  So  surely  as  one  believes  on 
Jesus  with  the  heart  will  he  gladly  run  in  the  way  of 
His  commandments  to  do  them  (John  15:14;  Rom. 
6:16;  James  1:22;  etc.).  God  does  not  require  the 
sinner  unsaved  to  obey  Him  in  order  to  be  saved,  for 
then  salvation  would  be  of  works,  and  we  know  it  is 
not  (see  Rom.  3:20;  Gal.  2:16;  etc.)  ;  but  He  does 


32 


HIS  RELATION  TO  CHRIST. 


require  that  he  shall  be  willing — and  every  man  is 
willing  or  unwilling;  and  then  after  he  is  saved,  obedi¬ 
ence  becomes  a  law  of  his  life,  and  he  can  obey  God 
easily  and  acceptably.  He  is  not  saved  because  he  is 
obedient ;  but  is  obedient  because  he  is  saved.  Con¬ 
version  lies  in  submission,  or  willingness  to  obey.  “To 
obey  is  better  than  sacrifice,  and  to  harken  than  the 
fat  of  rams"  (i  Sam.  15:22). 

Second.  Whom  believe? 

“And  by  him  (Jesus)  all  that  believe  are  justified" 
(Acts  13:  39).  Jesus  said,  “Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
you,  He  that  believeth  on  me  hath  everlasting  life” 
(John  6:  47).  Believeth  on  “Him/'  on  “Me,”  the  Son 
of  Mary,  the  Son  of  God;  “Who  was  delivered  for  our 
offenses,  and  was  raised  again  for  our  justification 
(Rom.  4:  25)  ;  Who  is  “alive  for  evermore,"  and  hath 
“the  keys  of  death  and  of  Hades”  (Rev.  1 :  18)  ;  and  to 
whom  “all  power  is  given  ...  in  heaven  and  earth” 
(Matt.  28:18).  We  are  not  required  to  believe  in 
any  theory  of  redemption,  or  of  the  Redeemer;  but 
in  Him  as  Redeemer,  Saviour,  and  Lord ;  to  believe 
“the  record  that  God  gave  of  his  Son"  (1  John  5: 
10-12),  that  He  “put  away  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  him¬ 
self"  (Heb.  9:26).  When  the  sinner  unsaved  is  will¬ 
ing  to  forsake  all  known  sins,  and  willing  to  submit 
himself  whole-hearted  and  irreversibly  to  God  to  obey 
Him,  as  best  he  can,  thus  believes  on  Jesus  the  Christ, 
he  does  what  God  requires  of  him  for  justification  and 
the  new  birth. 

Satan  is  very  adroit.  He  hinders  in  every  way  pos- 


AS  SAVIOUR . 


33 


sible.  He  will  suggest  to  the  inquirer  that  he  is  not 
sincere ;  that  he  is  not  sorry  enough ;  that  he  has  little 
or  no  feeling  of  regret  or  remorse ;  and  has  not  wept 
over  his  sins ;  and  therefore  there  is  no  salvation  for 
him.  Self-considered  there  is  absolutely  no  merit  in 
regret,  sorrow,  and  remorse  for  sins.  If  the  sinner’s 
life  were  a  fountain  of  tears  and  he  could  weep  it 
away,  it  would  not  atone  for  his  sins  or  cleanse  from 
their  defilement.  It  is  most  natural  for  one  to  have  a 
sense  of  sorrow  and  regret  for  his  offenses  when  the 
Holy  Spirit  convicts  of  sin,  and  his  eyes  are  opened  to 
see  himself  as  God  sees  him ;  but  these  things  manifest 
themselves,  or  not  at  all,  according  to  the  temperament, 
systemic  condition,  and  education  of  the  person.  But 
they  are  not  required  of  anyone  in  order  that  they  may 
be  justified  and  “born  again.”  Rome  teaches  penance ; 
but  not  the  Word  of  God.  But,  it  may  be  asked,  Does 
not  the  Bible  speak  of  a  “godly  sorrow  that  worketh 
repentance  unto  salvation?”  (2  Cor.  7:  10.) 

This  is  the  repentance  of  the  Christian  who  has  com¬ 
mitted  sin.  The  knowledge  of  it  produces  sorrow  for 
it  and  leads  him  to  repent  of  it  and  ask  for  forgiveness, 
as  illustrated  in  King  David’s  case  in  the  fifty-first 
Psalm.  How  can  an  ungodly  man  have  a  godly  sor¬ 
row?  I  say  again,  It  is  most  natural  for  one  to  have 
a  sense  of  sorrow  and  regret  when  convinced  of  his 
sins ;  but,  I  insist  upon  it  that  God  nowhere  requires  it 
of  him  in  order  that  he  may  be  justified  from  his  sins 
and  “born  again.”  If  these  things  were  required  of  the 
seeker,  these  questions  would  be  raised  at  once;  and 

they  would  have  to  be  answered  as  Rome  answers 
3 


34 


HIS  DELATION  TO  CHRIST. 


them :  What  degree  of  regret  is  necessary  ?  How  in¬ 
tense  must  be  my  sorrow?  How  many  tears  will  I 
have  to  shed?  For  how  long  a  time  must  I  mourn  and 
lament  my  follies  and  shortcomings?  It  is  just  here 
Satan  leads  many  into  the  castle  of  despair.  As  long 
as  their  minds  are  occupied  with  their  feelings  they  are 
not  thinking  of  what  Christ  did  for  them  in  redemption, 
and  what  He  will  do  for  them  as  Advocate  before  the 
Father’s  presence  if  they  “commit”  their  “ways  unto 
the  Lord”  to  “trust  also  in  him,  and  he  shall  bring  it  to 
pass”  (Psa.  37:5).  There  is  merit  only  in  what  Jesus 
did  in  shedding  His  blood ;  and  He  alone  can  save. 
Therefore  the  seeker  should  look  away  from  himself 
to  Jesus,  and  believe  on  Him.  His  sins  are  heinous  and 
awful.  Much  of  his  life  has  been  wasted,  as  is  true  of 
every  hour  lived  unreconciled  to  God.  His  peril  has 
been  great ;  so  that,  when  he  sees  himself  as  God  sees 
him,  he  cannot  well  help  having  a  sense  of  sorrow  and 
regret.  I  often  wonder  why  it  is  not  more  intense  and 
does  not  manifest  itself  more  often  and  enthusiastic¬ 
ally.  But,  no  matter  how  intense  is  his  sorrow  and  re¬ 
gret,  there  is  no  merit  in  it  all ;  and  at  the  last  he  must 
look  away  from  self,  and  all  that  is  true  of  and  possible 
to  self,  to  the  living,  merciful,  all-sufficient  Saviour  of 
men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 

Satan  also  gets  a  great  many  seekers  into  the  “slough 
of  despond’’  over  their  prayers.  He  suggests  that  they 
do  not  pray  enough ;  that  their  prayers  are  not  sin¬ 
cere  and  earnest  enough ;  or,  they  lack  expression  and 
fervor.  Of  course,  as  long  as  one  is  occupied  with  these 
matters  he  cannot  believe  aright.  His  thoughts  are 


AS  SAVIOUR. 


35 


turned  in  the  wrong  direction,  and  he  is  making  con¬ 
ditions  that  God  never  imposes,  and  merit  of  that  which 
possesses  none.  Now  then,  it  is  altogether  natural  that 
when  the  sinner  clearly  understands  his  condition,  peril, 
and  need  he  should  give  expression  to  his  desires  in  the 
form  of  prayer ;  but  it  is  not  required  of  him  in  order 
that  he  may  be  justified  and  "born  again/'  Never  once 
in  the  Word  of  God  is  he  taught  to  pray  for  these 
things.  They  invariably  come  of  believing. 

It  may  be  asked,  Does  not  the  Bible  say,  “Whosoever 
shall  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved  ?” 
Yes,  it  does;  and  it  immediately  adds,  “How  then 
shall  they  call  on  him  in  whom  they  have  not  believed  ?” 
(Rom.  io :  13,  14.) 

It  is  also  asked,  How  about  the  publican’s  prayer, 
“God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner?”  (Luke  18:13.) 
The  word  here  rendered  “merciful”  is  hilaskomai,  and 
is  akin  to  the  words  hilasmos  and  hilasterion,  which 
are  rendered  “propitiation”  in  1  John  2:2  and  4:  10, 
and  Rom.  3 :  25.  What  the  publican  really  said  was 
this:  “God  be  propitiated  to  me  the  sinner.”  Since 
Jesus,  who  was  sent  “to  be  the  propitiation  for  our 
sins,”  “cried  with  a  loud  voice,  .  .  .  and  gave  up  the 
ghost,”  “He  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins;  and  not 
for  ours  only,  but  also  for  the  whole  world”  (1  John 
2:2)  ;  and  it  is  therefore  unnecessary  for  anyone  to 
repeat  the  publican’s  prayer.  He  was  not  justified  be¬ 
cause  of  his  prayer,  but  through  his  faith.  That  he 
prayed  is  no  sufficient  reason  why  the  sinner  unsaved 
should  now  pray,  especially  since  justification  and  the 
new  birth  invariably  come  of  believing. 


HIS  DELATION  TO  CHRIST. 


As  for  the  prodigal?  I  make  answer,  he  was  just 
as  certainly  the  son  of  his  father  while  in  the  “far  coun¬ 
try,”  as  when  under  the  parental  roof ;  but  when  in  the 
“far  country”  he  was  a  very  bad  son.  “He  came  to  him¬ 
self,”  and  like  a  sensible  son  he  resolved  to  return  home, 
and  acting  upon  the  resolve  he  started.  “But  while  he 
was  yet  afar  off,  his  father  saw  him,  and  was  moved 
with  compassion,  and  ran,  and  fell  on  his  neck,  and 
kissed  him,”  even  before  the  son  had  a  chance  to  con¬ 
fess  his  sins  and  ask  forgiveness.  The  prodigal  repre¬ 
sents  the  backslidden  Christian,  the  child  of  God  who 
has  gone  wrong  and  gotten  out  of  communion  with 
his  Heavenly  Father.  He  is  required  to  confess  his  sins 
and  ask  forgiveness ;  and  is  assured  if  he  does,  and  for¬ 
sakes  them,  that  he  “shall  have  mercy.”  (See  i  John 
1:9;  Psa.  32:5;  and  Prov.  28:13.)  There  is  jus¬ 
tification  for  the  sinner  unsaved ;  there  is  forgiveness 
for  the  child  of  God,  the  “sinner  saved  by  grace.” 
The  child  of  God  who  commits  sin  is  required  to  con¬ 
fess  it  to  his  Heavenly  Father,  and  ask  forgiveness. 
The  sinner  unsaved  is  required  to  do  nothing  of  the 
sort,  but  to  repent  and  believe. 

God  requires  of  the  sinner  unsaved,  immediate,  un¬ 
conditional,  and  irreversible  surrender ;  and  when  he 
thus  yields,  and  then  believes  “the  record  that  God  gave 
of  his  Son,”  God's  Word  for  it,  he  is  justified  (Acts 
T3:  39) ,  and  “born  again”  (1  John  5:1);  even  though 
he  has  uttered  never  a  word  of  prayer.  We  do  not  have 
to  pray  in  order  to  believe ;  we  have  to  believe  in  order 
to  pray.  Since  there  is  merit  only  in  Jesus  as  Re¬ 
deemer,  as  long  as  the  sinner  is  occupied  with  thoughts 


AS  SAVIOUR. 


37 


about  prayer  and  praying  he  is  not  thinking  and  believ¬ 
ing  on  Christ.  He  must  look  away  from  himself  and 
all  things  possible  to  him,  to  “Him”  and  believe  on 
“Me,”  for  He  alone  can  save. 

Satan  likewise  often  gets  the  inquiring  soul  con¬ 
fused  and  into  a  tangle  over  his  faith,  or  about  be¬ 
lieving.  He  will  suggest,“Your  faith  is  not  of  the  right 
sort ;  it  is  not  strong  enough ;  it  is  not  in  proper  rela¬ 
tions  to  the  subject  or  object.”  Well,  of  course,  if  his 
mind  and  thoughts  are  taken  up  with  such  things, 
he  is  not  believing  on  “Him,”  on  “Me;"  and,  as  long 
as  he  remains  in  that  frame  of  mind,  he  is  unsaved. 

“Faith  cometh  by  hearing,  and  hearing  by  the  word 
of  God”  (Rom.  io:  17).  Is  there  any  room  for  doubt¬ 
ing  what  the  Word  of  God  says  concerning  “the  re¬ 
demption  there  is  in  Christ  Jesus?”  or  God’s  promises 
to  save  those  who  repent  and  believe?  His  Word  is 
true,  and  “He  is  faithful  that  promised.”  “Forever,  O 
Lord,  thy  word  is  settled  in  heaven”  (Psa.  119:89). 
“Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away ;  but  my  word  shall 
not  pass  away”  (Mark  13:  31).  “But  the  word  of  the 
Lord  abideth  forever”  (1  Pet.  1:25). 

Why  then  should  anyone  doubt  Him?  If  we  believe 
His  words,  we  can  doubt  whomsoever  and  whatever 
we  please ;  it  will  make  no  difference.  So  let  us  not 
be  confused.  We  are  required  to  believe  on  Him.  And 
yet  it  is  not  our  faith  that  saves  us.  It  is  Jesus  who 
saves  us.  It  is  by  or  through  faith,  it  is  true ;  but  He 
is  the  Saviour.  The  coupling  that  connects  the  train 
to  the  engine  does  not  haul  the  train :  the  engine  does 
that.  But  all  the  engines  on  earth  could  not  haul  a 


38 


HIS  RELATION  TO  CHRIST. 


train  unless  it  was  coupled  to  them.  Faith  is  the  coup¬ 
ling.  By  it  we  apprehend  Him  in  whom,  by  His 
passion  and  death,  we  also  were  apprehended ;  and  He 
saves  us.  So  never  mind  your  faith.  “If  I  have  all 
faith,  so  that  I  could  move  mountains,  and  have  not 
charity  (Christ),  I  am  nothing”  (i  Cor.  13:2). 

Third.  What  believe? 

Believe  you  are  justified  and  “born  again,”  because 
God’s  Word  declares  you  are,  if  you  have  believed  on 
Jesus  with  the  heart.  “And  by  him  every  one  that  be- 
lieveth  is  justified”  (Acts  13:39);  and,  “Whosoever 
believeth  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  is  born  of  God” 
(1  John  5:1).  Having  believed  on  Jesus  with  the 
heart,  you  know  you  are  “born  again,”  by  his  words 
of  assurance  to  that  effect.  “These  things  have  I  writ¬ 
ten  unto  you,  that  you  may  know  that  ye  have  eternal 
life,  even  unto  you  that  believe  on  the  name  of  the 
Son  of  God”  (1  John  5:  13).  We  are  not  anywhere 
in  the  Bible  told  that  we  are  to  know  in  any  other  way 
that  we  have  eternal  life.  We  are  here  explicitly  in¬ 
formed  that  certain  things  are  written  whereby  we  are 
to  know  “that  ye  have  eternal  life.”  If  you  believe  on 
Jesus  with  the  heart  you  are  justified  and  born  again, 
whether  you  believe  it  or  not.  God’s  Word  is  not  un¬ 
true  because  you  refuse  to  believe  it.  “He  that  believ¬ 
eth  not  God  hath  made  him  a  liar,  because  he  believeth 
not  the  record  God  gave  of  his  Son.  And  this  is  the 
record,  that  God  hath  given  to  us  eternal  life,  and  this 
life  is  in  his  Son”  ( 1  John  5  :  10,  1 1 ) .  As  long  as  you 
refuse  to  believe  the  word  of  assurance  that  you  are 


AS  SAVIOUR . 


39 


justified  and  “born  again,”  because  you  have  believed 
on  Jesus  with  the  heart,  you  will  have  unrest  and  be 
unhappy ;  but,  so  soon  as  you  believe  these  words  of  as¬ 
surance  will  it  be  otherwise  with  you,  for  “joy  and 
peace”  come  of  believing  (Rom.  15:13).  I  am  not 
justified  and  “born  again’1  because  I  have  “joy  and 
peace;”  but  I  am  justified  and  "born  again”  because  I 
believe  on  Jesus  with  my  heart;  and  I  do  not  know 
I  am  justified  and  “born  again”  because  I  have  “joy 
and  peace ;”  but  because  God’s  Word  informs  and  as¬ 
sures  me  that  it  is  so.  I  have  believed  on  Jesus  with 
my  heart,  and  I  have  “joy  and  peace”  in  believing 
this. 

In  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  into  an  inquiry  meeting  one 
night  came  a  young  lady,  desiring  to  be  saved.  I 
asked  her  if  she  was  willing  to  forsake  all  known  sins. 
She  answered,  “I  am.”  I  asked,  “Are  you  willing  to 
obey  God  as  best  you  can?”  She  responded,  “Alto¬ 
gether  so!”  I  asked,  “Do  you  believe  Jesus  loved  you 
and  died  for  you?”  “Without  a  doubt!”  was  her  re¬ 
ply.  And  you  then  accept  Him  to  be  your  Saviour,  to 
trust  Him  for  present  and  eternal  salvation?”  She  said, 
“With  all  my  heart!”  I  then  read  John  6:47  t 0  her: 
“  'Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  He  that  believeth  on 
me  hath  everlasting  life.7  Do  you  have  everlasting 
life?”  “No,”  she  replied.  “But  Jesus  says  you  have, 
since  you  have  believed  on  Him.”  “But  I  have  not,” 
she  said.  “Well  then,  if  what  you  say  is  true,  He  has 
lied.”  I  prayed  with  her,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  would 
teach  and  help  her,  and  then  left  her.  She  left  the 
meeting  with  a  very  heavy  heart.  The  next  night  she 


40 


HIS  DELATION  TO  CHRIST. 


was  again  in  the  inquiry  room,  and  I  went  carefully  over 
the  same  ground  with  her,  with  the  same  results.  The 
same  thing  happened  the  third,  fourth,  and  fifth  nights, 
and  her  condition  was  pitiable.  The  sixth  night  she 
went  home  well-nigh  bereft  of  her  reason,  so  great  was 
her  anxiety  and  distress.  The  seventh  night  she  en¬ 
tered  the  inquiry  room,  her  face  luminous  with  smiles. 
I  think  she  was  as  happy  a  soul  as  I  ever  saw.  As  soon 
as  she  could  reach  me  she  extended  her  hand  and  said, 
“Mr.  Munhall,  I  want  to  say  to  you,  God  does  not  lie !” 
I  said,  “I  am  glad  you  have  come  to  believe  it,  even 
though  it  has  taken  you  an  entire  week  to  do  so.”  All 
her  distress  came  of  her  not  believing  the  Saviour's 
words  of  assurance  that  she  had  everlasting  life  be¬ 
cause  she  believed  on  Him.  She  as  certainly  had  ever¬ 
lasting  life  the  first  as  the  seventh  night — God's  Word 
for  it ;  but  she  refused  to  believe  it,  and  thus  made  God 
a  liar  (i  John  5:  10).  How  could  she  have  “joy  and 
peace"  putting  such  dishonor  upon  the  Saviour?  When 
she  believed  the  word  of  assurance  she  at  once  found 
joy  and  peace.  She  did  not  have  everlasting  life  be¬ 
cause  she  believed  she  had,  but  because  she  believed  on 
Jesus  with  her  heart;  and  having  believed  on  Jesus 
with  her  heart,  she  knew  she  had  everlasting  life, 
because  He  said  so — “Hath  everlasting  life” — and  be¬ 
lieving  this  she  had  “joy  and  peace.” 

In  connection  with  this  matter  Satan  does  some  of 
his  most  effective  work.  He  piously  suggests  (Satan 
himself  is  transformed  “into  an  angel  of  light,”  2  Cor. 
ti  :  14)  that  you  cannot  be  justified  and  “born  again,” 
because  you  do  not  feel  it,  or,  that  you  do  not  feel  like 


AS  SAVIOUR. 


4i 


some  one  said  they  felt  when  they  were  saved.  And 
thus  many  are  led  to  doubt  the  word  of  assurance  and 
become  confused  and  wretched.  The  word  "feeling” 
occurs  only  twice  in  the  Bible :  once  we  are  told  that 
Jesus  is  “touched  with  a  feeling  of  our  infirmities” 
(Heb.  4:  15),  and  in  Eph.  4:  19  mention  is  made  of 
certain  abominable  people  who  were  “past  feeling.” 
Scripturally,  feeling  is,  therefore,  neither  a  condition 
to,  nor  element  in  the  procuring  cause  of,  present  sal¬ 
vation  ;  and  has  nothing  to  do  with  our  knowing  we  are 
justified  and  “born  again.”  That  information  is  given 
in  God’s  Word,  as  we  have  before  shown ;  and  the 
Holy  Spirit  as  Teacher,  sent  to  guide  us  unto  all  the 
truth,  and  take  the  things  of  Christ  and  show  them 
unto  us  (John  16:  13,  14),  helps  us  to  receive  and  un¬ 
derstand  what  is  written  on  the  subject.  We  are  not 
justified  and  “born  again”  because  we  feel  good,  but 
because  we  believe  on  Jesus  Christ  with  the  heart.  We 
do  not  know  we  are  justified  and  “born  again”  by  our 
feelings,  but  by  what  God  says  about  it  in  His  Word, 
which  information  causes  us  to  feel  good — and  yet  not 
always. 

The  man  who  trusts  his  feelings  for  evidence  of  his 
salvation  must  of  necessity  have  a  fluctuating  and  un¬ 
satisfactory  experience.  Our  feelings  are  influenced 
and  determined  by  many  things.  Most  of  men  are  af¬ 
fected  in  their  feelings  by  barometrical  conditions. 
When  the  barometer  is  31.10,  they  are  exhilarated  and 
cheerful.  One  is  not  likely  to  have  the  “blues”  or  com¬ 
mit  suicide  when  the  barometer  is  above  30.  When 
the  barometer  is  29.20  most  of  people’s  feelings  are 


42 


HIS  ABLATION  TO  CHRIST. 


depressed  and  they  become  measurably  morose,  de¬ 
spondent,  and  suspicious.  Now  then,  if  one  is  saved 
because  they  feel  good,  they  would  only  be  saved  when 
the  barometer  was  above  30.80. 

The  feelings  of  most  men  are  affected  by  their  busi¬ 
ness  circumstances.  If  one  is  successful  in  his  business 
enterprises  he  is  sure  to  feel  good.  If  he  fails  he  is 
certain  to  feel  otherwise.  So  then,  if  one  is  saved  only 
when  he  feels  good,  there  is  no  salvation  for  him  in 
days  of  adversity. 

A  man  with  an  unimpaired  digestion,  and  vigorous, 
robust  health,  would  always  be  saved,  if  men  are  saved 
when  they  feel  good ;  and  those  that  are  broken  and 
shattered  in  health,  and  never,  under  any  circum¬ 
stances,  can  feel  good,  would  be  utterly  without  hope. 

We  are  not  saved  because  we  feel  good,  but  feel 
good  because  we  are  saved ;  yet  we  do  not  always  feel 
good,  but  we  are  always  saved,  if  we  have  believed  on 
Jesus  Christ  with  our  hearts,  and  are  trusting  Him 
with  unwavering  confidence  and  unquestioning  faith. 

Some  years  ago,  while  conducting  an  evangelistic 
campaign  in  a  far  Western  city,  I  was,  one  morning, 
while  in  my  room  at  the  hotel,  suffering  most  excruciat¬ 
ingly  from  facial  neuralgia.  It  seemed  as  though 
some  one  had  driven  a  three-cornered  file  into  the 
ganglion  on  the  left  side  of  my  face,  and  every  half 
minute  would  turn  it  around.  Lancinating  pains  were 
shooting  through  me  like  lightning  flashes.  Great  drops 
of  cold  perspiration  stood  out  all  over  my  face,  and  it 
was  impossible  for  me  to  take  a  long  breath.  Just 
while  I  was  suffering  most  there  was  a  knock  at  my 


AS  SAVIOUR. 


43 


door.  Upon  opening  it  I  was  confronted  by  a  friend 
and  brother,  one  of  those  exuberant,  soulful  saints, 
always  full  of  good  feeling  and  cheer.  As  we  shook 
hands  he  said,  “Good  morning,  Brother  Munhall,  do 
you  feel  you  are  saved  this  morning?”  I  responded, 
“No!  I  feel  like  a  pirate!  but  I  know  I  am  saved,  in 
spite  of  the  neuralgia,  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the 
devil !” 


44 


HIS  RELATION  TO  CHRIST. 


CHAPTER  V. 

The  Convert's  Relations  to  Christ* — ( Continued ♦  ) 

As  High  Priest,  Advocate,  Lord,  Brother,  Friend, 

Shepherd,  and  King. 

First.  PIigh  Priest. 

“Wherefore  in  all  things  it  behooved  him  to  be  made  like  unto  his 
brethren,  that  he  might  be  a  merciful  and  faithful  high  priest  in  things 
pertaining  to  God,  to  make  reconciliation  for  the  sins  of  the  people.” — 
Heb.  2:17. 

As  Redeemer,  Jesus  made  a  sacrifice  of  Himself  for 
our  sins  (Heb.  9:26).  As  High  Priest  He  presented 
His  blood  unto  the  Father  (Heb.  9:11,  12).  The 
blood  of  the  “peace  offering’’  did  not  speak  in  the  sin¬ 
ner’s  behalf  prevailingly  until  it  was  sprinkled  upon  the 
altar  (Lev.  3 :  2).  It  was  there  God  met  the  sinner  for 
reconciliation.  Therefore,  Jesus  as  High  Priest  “en¬ 
tered  into  heaven  itself,  now  to  appear  before  the  face 
of  God  for  us”  (Heb.  9:24).  And  He  “hath  an  un¬ 
changeable  priesthood”  (Heb.  7:  24).  As  the  Aaronic 
high  priest  bore  the  names  of  the  children  of  Israel  in 
the  breastplate,  and  wore  it  upon  his  heart  (Exod.  28: 
29),  even  so  Jesus  our  High  Priest,  who  was  “made 
like  unto  his  brethren,”  “in  all  points  tempted  like  as 
we  are”  (Heb.  4:  15),  and  made  “perfect  through  suf¬ 
ferings”  (Heb.  2:10),  “that  he  might  be  a  merciful 
and  faithful  high  priest  in  things  pertaining  to  God,” 
is  “touched  with  a  feeling  of  our  infirmities,”  and 


AS  ADVOCATE. 


45 


so  bears  the  repentent  believing  sinner  upon  His 
heart.  He  is  not  as  an  image  in  the  tribune,  cold, 
unpitying  and  unsympathetic.  “He  loved  us  and 
gave  himself  for  us,”  and  will  love  us  “unto  the  end.” 
Why  should  we  not  be  drawn  to  Him?  Why  should 
we  not  confide  in  Him?  “Let  us  therefore  come 
boldly  unto  the  throne  of  grace,  that  we  may  obtain 
mercy,  and  find  grace  to  help  in  time  of  need”  (Heb. 
4: 15, 16). 

Second.  Advocate. 

“  If  any  man  sin,  we  have  an  advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ 
the  righteous.” — 1  John  2  : 1. 

If  one  had  a  case  in  law  he  would  select  a  competent 
attorney,  in  whom  he  had  confidence,  and  give  his  case 
into  his  hands,  in  the  hope  that  it  might  be  successfully 
and  satisfactorily  conducted.  Satan  is  accusing  the 
“brethren  .  .  .  before  our  God  day  and  night”  (Rev. 
12:  10).  (See  also  Zech.  3:  1  and  Eph.  6:  12,  R.  V.) 
An  accuser’s  place  is  in  court.  An  advocate’s  place  is 
also  in  court.  His  business  is  to  meet  the  accusations 
brought  against  his  client.  Jesus,  as  our  Advocate,  is 
before  the  Father's  presence  meeting  Satan’s  accusa¬ 
tions.  If  we,  as  reconciled  to  the  Father  “through  the 
blood  of  his  cross,”  commit  sin,  Satan  at  once  brings 
accusation  against  us ;  and  Jesus,  our  Advocate,  pleads 
the  prevailing  efficacy  of  His  shed  blood  in  our  behalf, 
and  for  His  sake  the  Father  forgives.  Therefore,  if  we 
have  committed  our  way  unto  the  Lord,  to  trust  also 
in  Him  that  He  may  bring  it  to  pass  (Psa.  37*  5)>  we 
can  say  with  entire  confidence,  “I  know  him  whom  I 


46 


HIS  RELATION  TO  CHRIST. 


have  believed,  and  I  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to 
guard  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  him  against 
that  day"  (i  Tim.  i:  12).  Our  Advocate  can  never 
lose  a  case:  the  Father  hearest  Him  always  (John 
11 : 42). 

It  should  never  be  forgotten  that  the  believer  who  has 
committed  sin  is  required  to  confess  it  (Psa.  32:5) 
and  forsake  it  (Prov.  28:  13),  as  a  condition  to  for¬ 
giveness.  “If  we  confess  our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and 
righteous  to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us  from 
all  unrighteousness’’  (1  John  1:9).  Since  the  con¬ 
verse  of  a  proposition  is  as  true  as  that  which  is  af¬ 
firmed,  if  we  do  not  confess  and  forsake  our  sins,  He 
will  not  forgive,  since  His  advocacy  is  promised  on 
that  condition. 

Third.  Lord. 

*'  For  tc  this  end  Christ  died,  and  lived  again,  that  he  might  be  Lord 
of  both  the  dead  and  the  living  ” — Rom.  14  :  9. 

Jesus,  as  Lord,  asserted  His  omnipotent  power  while 
on  earth  many,  many  times,  in  the  wonderful  life  He 
lived.  How  marvelously  He  made  things  seen  and  un¬ 
seen  minister  to  the  needs  of  the  needv  about  Him  !  Did 
they  need  healing?  His  word  and  touch  wrought  in¬ 
stant  cure.  Were  they  hungry?  At  once  the  few 
loaves  and  fishes  became  more  than  enough  for  the 
thousands  that  followed  Him.  Were  they  affrighted  be¬ 
cause  of  the  howling  tempest  and  angry  sea?  At  one 
word  from  Him  there  was  a  great  calm.  This  same 
Almighty  One  is  our  Lord!  Why  should  we  fear? 
‘‘Even  the  winds  and  the  sea  obey  him.”  Why  should 


AS  LORD. 


47 


we  be  troubled?  “My  God  shall  supply  all  your  need, 
according  to  his  riches  in  glory  by  Christ  Jesus”  (Phil. 
4:  19).  Why  should  we  falter  or  doubt?  “We  know 
that  all  things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that 
love  God”  (Rom.  8:28). 

But  better  still,  He  is  Lord  of  “the  dead,”  as  of  the 
living.  He  grappled  with  death,  and  conquering  him 
arose  from  the  grave,  having  “brought  life  and  incor¬ 
ruption  to  light  through  the  gospel”  (2  Tim.  1:  10). 
He  said,  “I  am  the  first  and  the  last,  and  the  Living 
one ;  and  I  was  dead,  and  behold,  I  am  alive  for  ever¬ 
more,  and  I  have  the  keys  of  death  and  of  Hades” (Rev. 
1 :  17,  18)  ;  therefore  the  convert  can  exultingly  say, 
“O  death,  where  is  thy  victory  ?  O  death,  where  is  thy 
sting?”  (1  Cor.  15:  55.)  When  Jesus  was  upon  the 
earth  no  one  ever  died  in  his  presence ;  and  whenever 
he  came  into  the  presence  of  those  who  were  dead 
they  immediately  came  back  to  life  and  went  about  their 
usual  business.  No  wonder,  therefore,  when  “The 
Lord  himself  shall  descend  from  heaven  with  a  shout, 
with  the  voice  of  the  archangel,  and  with  the  trump  of 
God :  and  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first :  then  we 
that  are  alive,  that  are  left,  shall  together  with  them 
be  caught  up  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air : 
and  so  shall  we  ever  be  with  the  Lord”  (1  Thess.  4: 
16,  17).  He  is  thus,  to  the  very  last,  “Lord  of  both  the 
dead  and  the  living.”  “Whether  we  live,  we  live  unto 
the  Lord ;  or  whether  we  die,  we  die  unto  the  Lord : 
whether  we  live  therefore,  or  die,  we  are  the  Lord’s” 
(Rom.  14:8).  “O  Lord,  our  Lord,  how  excellent  is 
thy  name  in  all  the  earth”  (Psa.  8:9). 


48 


HIS  RELATION  TO  CHRIST 


Fourth.  Brother. 

“  For  whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven,  he 
is  my  brother.” — Matt.  12  :  50. 

Jesus  is,  in  the  Scriptures,  again  and  again  declared 
to  be  “the  Son  of  God.”  Believers  are  also  again  and 
again  declared  to  be  “sons  of  God.”  “For  ye  are  all 
sons  of  God,  through  faith  in  Christ  Jesus.”  There¬ 
fore,  all  that  Jesus  is  heir  to,  the  convert  is  also  heir  to. 
How  intimate  and  endearing  is  this  relation !  and  with 
what  confidence  should  we  go  to  Him  in  all  the  hours 
of  our  need !  The  convert  should  also  ever  remember 
that  his  “Elder  Brother”  is  always  present  with  him, 
and  cultivate  the  habit  of  communing  with  Him. 

Fifth.  Friend. 

“  Henceforth  I  call  you  not  servants  ;  for  the  servant  knoweth  not  what 
his  lord  doeth  :  but  I  have  called  you  friends ;  for  all  things  that  I  have 
heard  of  my  Father  I  have  made  known  unto  you.” — John  15  :  15. 

The  natural  law  makes  brothers  after  the  flesh  de¬ 
voted  to  each  other.  But,  “There  is  a  friend  that 
sticketh  closer  than  a  brother”  (Prov.  18:24);  “A 
friend  of  publicans  and  sinners”  (Matt.  11:  19). 

Our  brother  after  the  flesh  may  want  to  help  us  in  a 
time  of  need,  but  not  have  the  means  to  do  so.  “But 
my  God  shall  supply  all  your  need,  according  to  his 
riches  in  glory,  by  Christ  Jesus”  (Phil.  4:  19). 

Our  brother  in  the  flesh  may  be  minded  and  able  to 
help  us,  but  continents  and  seas  may  separate.  Our 
God  is  not  gone  on  a  long  journey.  “Am  I  a  God  at 
hand,  saith  the  Lord,  and  not  a  God  afar  off?”  (Jer. 
23:23.) 

Our  brother  in  the  flesh  may  not  want  to  help  us 
even  when  we  are  in  need ;  he  may  be  at  variance  with 


AS  FRIEND  AND  SHEPHERD. 


49 


us.  But,  “The  Lord  thy  God,  he  it  is  that  doth  go 
with  thee;  he  will  not  fail  thee,  nor  forsake  thee” 
(Dent.  31:6). 

Our  natural  brother  may  not  sympathize  with  us  in 
time  of  trouble.  But  our  Elder  Brother  is  “touched 
with  the  feeling  of  our  infirmities.” 

Our  earthly  brother  cannot  go  with  11s  “through  the 
valley  of  the  shadow  of  death.”  Our  Friend,  the  Lord 
of  life  and  glory,  can,  and  will,  if  we  trust  Him  (Psa. 

23:4)- 

Our  brother  in  the  flesh  is  powerless  to  deliver  us 
from  the  king  of  terrors.  But  He  that  is  for  us  has 
conquered  death  and  the  grave  and  hast  “the  keys  of 
death  and  of  Hades. 

Our  natural  brother  cannot  justify  and  cleanse  us 
from  sins,  and  present  us  “faultless  before  the  pres¬ 
ence  of  his  glory  with  exceeding  joy”  (Jude  24),  Our 
unfailing  Friend  can,  and  will,  if  we  are  true  to  Him. 

That  which  we  as  servants  may  not  know,  as  friends, 
we  may  and  will  know.  “The  secret  of  the  Lord  is 
with  them  that  fear  him”  (Psa.  25:14);  and,  as 
friends,  the  Lord  will  reveal  the  deep  things  of  God 
unto  ns.  If  we  are  faithful  as  servants,  and  prove  our¬ 
selves  thereby  to  be  deserving  of  confidence,  He  will  be 
our  true  and  unfailing  friend.  “Ye  are  my  friends,  if 
ye  do  the  things  I  command  you”  (John  15 :  14). 

Sixth.  Shepherd. 

“  The  Lord  is  my  shepherd  ;  I  shall  not  want.  He  maketh  me  to  lie 
down  in  green  pastures :  he  leadeth  me  beside  the  still  waters.  He  re- 
storeth  my  soul  :  he  leadeth  me  in  the  paths  of  righteousness  for  his 
name’s  sake.” — Psa.  23  : 1-3. 

A  sheep  is  the  dumbest  and  most  defenseless  of  an- 
4 


5o 


HIS  RELATION  TO  CHRIST. 


imals.  God  again  and  again  likens  the  sinner  to  a 
sheep.  If  left  to  himself  he  knows  not  what  to  do  for 
salvation,  or  where  to  go  for  safety;  and  is  wholly 
unable  to  defend  himself  against  his  fierce,  tireless,  and 
unpitying  adversary — the  devil.  “All  we,  like  sheep, 
have  gone  astray’’  (Isa.  53:6)  ;  and  “Your  adversary 
the  devil,  as  a  roaring  lion,  walketh  about  seeking 
whom  he  may  devour”  (1  Pet.  5:8).  If  left  to  him¬ 
self  the  sinner  must  perish. 

Hence  Jesus,  as  the  Shepherd,  “came  to  seek  and  to 
save  that  which  was  lost"  (Luke  19:  10). 

He  is  the  Smitten  Shepherd  (Zech.  13:7).  “I 
lay  down  my  life  for  the  sheep”  (John  10:  14). 

He  is  the  Good  Shepherd  (John  10:  11).  He  “giv- 
eth  his  life  for  the  sheep.” 

He  is  the  Great  Shepherd  (Heb.  13:20).  “To 
him  the  porter  openeth"  (John  10:3). 

He  is  the  Chief  Shepherd  (i  Pet.  5:4).  “All  that 
came  before  me  are  thieves  and  robbers”  (John  10:8). 

He  is  My  Shepherd  (Psa.  23:1).  Therefore  I 
commit  all  to  Him  and  will  gladly  follow  where  He 
leads. 

A  sheep  has  two  marks  or  characteristics.  Jesus  said, 
“He  goeth  before  them,  and  the  sheep  follow  him : 
for  they  know  his  voice"  (John  10:4).  “The  sheep 
Follow  him” — Foot  Mark.  The  closer  we  follow 
Him,  the  easier  it  is  to  follow,  and  the  less  likely  we 
are  to  wander ;  and  the  more  certain  shall  we  be  known 
as  His  sheep.  The  sheep  “know  His  Voice” — Ear 
Mark.  The  more  His  voice  is  in  our  ear,  the  less  will 
we  care  for  the  music  of  this  world ;  and  the  more  cer- 


AS  KING. 


5i 


tain  will  we  be  guided  in  safety  into  “green  pastures” 
and  “beside  the  still  waters.” 

Seventh.  King. 

“  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ :  which  in  his  times  he  shall  show,  who  is  the 
blessed  and  only  Potentate,  the  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords.”— 
1  Tim.  6  : 14,  15. 

As  Son  of  God,  Jesus  is  by  right  heir  to  the  throne 
of  the  universe.  “But  of  the  Son  he  saith,  Thy  throne, 
O  God,  is  forever  and  ever”  (Heb.  i :  8).  As  Son  of 
David,  He  is  heir  to  David's  throne.  Concerning 
David’s  throne  God’s  covenant  with  David  declares, 
“I  will  stablish  the  throne  of  his  kingdom  forever” 
(2  Sam.  7:  13.)  Concerning  Jesus's  relations  with  Da¬ 
vid's  throne  it  is  said,  “For  unto  us  a  child  is  born,  unto 
us  a  son  is  given,  and  the  government  shall  be  upon  his 
shoulders;  and  his  name  shall  be  called  Wonderful, 
Counselor,  The  mighty  God,  The  everlasting  Father, 
The  Prince  of  Peace.  Of  the  increase  of  his  govern¬ 
ment  and  peace  there  shall  be  no  end,  upon  the  throne 
of  David,  and  upon  his  kingdom,  to  order  it,  and  to 
establish  it  with  judgment  and  with  justice, from  hence¬ 
forth  even  forever”  (Isa.  9:6,  7).  In  the  annuncia¬ 
tion  it  was  said  to  Mary,  “And  behold,  thou  shalt  con¬ 
ceive  in  thy  womb,  and  bring  forth  a  son,  and  shalt 
call  his  name  Jesus.  He  shall  be  great,  and  shall  be 
called  the  Son  of  the  Most  High :  and  the  Lord  God 
shall  give  unto  him  the  throne  of  his  father  David :  and 
he  shall  reign  over  the  house  of  Jacob  forever;  and  of 
nis  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end”  (Luke  1:31-33). 
“Pilate  therefore  said  unto  him,  Art  thou  a  king  then? 
Jesus  answered,  Thou  sayest  that  I  am  a  king.  To  this 


52 


HIS  RELATION  TO  CHRIST. 


end  was  I  born,  and  for  this  cause  came  I  into  the 
world,  that  I  should  bear  witness  unto  the  truth”  (John 
1 8 :  37).  On  the  “Day  of  Pentecost/'  Peter, speaking  by 
the  Ploly  Ghost,  said:  “Men  and  brethren,  let  me  freely 
speak  unto  you  of  the  patriarch  David,  that  he  is  both 
dead  and  buried,  and  his  sepulcher  is  with  us  unto  this 
day.  Therefore  being  a  prophet,  and  knowing  that 
God  had  sworn  with  an  oath  to  him,  that  of  the  fruit 
of  his  loins,  according  to  the  flesh,  he  would  raise  up 
Christ  to  sit  on  his  throne ;  he,  seeing  this  before,  spake 
of  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  that  his  soul  was  not  left 
in  hell,  neither  his  flesh  did  see  corruption.  This  Jesus 
hath  God  raised  up,  whereof  we  all  are  witnesses'1 
(Acts  2:29-32).  When  poor  blinded  and  misguided 
Israel  rejected  Jesus,  He  said:“0  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem, 
which  killeth  the  prophets,  and  stoneth  them  that  are 
sent  unto  her !  how  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy 
children  together,  even  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  own 
brood  under  her  wings,  and  ye  would  not !  Behold, 
your  house  is  left  unto  you  desolate :  and  I  say  unto 
you,  Ye  shall  not  see  me,  until  ye  shall  say,  Blessed  is 
he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord”  (Luke  13: 

34,  35)- 

Jesus  said,  “All  authority  hath  been  given  unto  me 
in  heaven  and  on  earth”  (Matt.  28:  18).  “But  now  we 
see  not  yet  all  things  subjected  to  him’1  (Heb.  2:8). 
“Him  hath  God  exalted  with  his  right  hand  to 
be  a  Prince”  (Acts  5:31).  He  is  a  Prince  and  has 
kingly  rights,  and  “shall  have  dominion  also  from  sea 
to  sea,  and  from  the  river  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth” 
(Psa.  72:8).  The  kingly  rights  of  Jesus  are  denied 


AS  KING. 


53 


and  His  authority  disregarded  by  a  vast  majority  of 
the  human  family.  Satan  is  “the  god  of  this  world” 
and  rules  in  the  hearts  and  lives  of  “the  children  of  dis¬ 
obedience.”  But  it  will  not  always  be  so.  After  the 
opening  of  the  seventh  seal,  and  the  seven  trumpets 
and  seven  thunders  have  sounded,  a  time  yet  future, 
“there  followed  great  voices  in  heaven,  and  they  said, 
The  kingdom  of  the  world  is  become  the  kingdom  of 
our  Lord,  and  of  his  Christ:  and  he  shall  reign  forever 
and  ever.  .  .  .  saying,  We  give  thee  thanks,  O  Lord 
God,  the  Almighty,  which  art  and  which  wast ;  because 
thou  hast  taken  thy  great  power,  and  didst  reign”  (Rev. 
n  :  15-17).  '‘Then  the  moon  shall  be  confounded,  and 
the  sun  ashamed,  when  the  Lord  of  hosts  shall  reign 
in  mount  Zion,  and  in  Jerusalem”  (Isa.  24:  23).  "And 
I  saw  heaven  opened ;  and  behold,  a  white  horse,  and 
he  that  sat  thereon,  called  Faithful  and  True;  and  in 
righteousness  he  doth  judge  and  make  war.  And  his 
eyes  are  a  flame  of  fire,  and  upon  his  head  are  many 
diadems ;  and  he  hath  a  name  written,  which  no  one 
knoweth  but  he  himself.  And  he  is  arrayed  in  a  gar¬ 
ment  sprinkled  with  blood :  and  his  name  is  called  The 
Word  of  God.  And  the  armies  which  are  in  heaven 
followed  him  upon  white  horses,  clothed  in  fine  linen, 
white  and  pure.  And  out  of  his  mouth  proceedeth  a 
sharp  sword,  that  it  should  smite  the  nations :  and  he 
shall  rule  them  with  a  rod  of  iron :  and  he  treadeth  the 
winepress  of  the  fierceness  of  the  wrath  of  Almighty 
God.  And  he  hath  on  his  garment  and  on  his  thigh  a 
name  written,  King  of  Kings,  and  Lord  of  Lords” 
(Rev.  19:11-16).  Though  despised  and  rejected  by 


54 


HIS  RELATION  TO  CHRIST . 


the  many,  He  will  one  clay  assert  His  regal  rights,  and 
no  one  will  then  dare  dispute  the  sway  of  His  imperial 
scepter.  Then  we  who  have  been  with  Him  in  humilia¬ 
tion  shall  reign  with  Him  in  the  glory.  “If  we  endure, 
we  shall  also  reign  with  him”  (2  Tim.  2:  10).  “And 
Jesus  said  unto  them,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  ye  that 
have  followed  me,  in  the  regeneration  when  the  Son  of 
man  shall  sit  on  the  throne  of  his  glory,  ye  also  shall  sit 
upon  twelve  thrones,  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Is¬ 
rael”  (Matt.  19:  28).  “He  that  overcometh,  I  will  give 
to  him  to  sit  down  with  me  in  my  throne,  as  I  also 
overcame,  and  sat  down  with  my  Father  in  his  throne” 
(Rev.  3:21).  “And  they  sing  a  new  song,  saying, 
Worthy  art  thou  to  take  the  book,  and  to  open  the  seals 
thereof ;  for  thou  wast  slain,  and  didst  purchase  unto 
God  with  thy  blood  men  of  every  tribe,  and  tongue, 
and  people,  and  nation,  and  madest  them  to  be  unto 
God  a  kingdom  and  priests ;  and  they  reign  upon  the 
earth”  (Rev.  5:9,  10).  “And  there  shall  be  night  no 
more ;  and  they  need  no  light  of  lamp,  neither  light  of 
sun ;  for  the  Lord  God  shall  give  them  light :  and  they 
shall  reign  forever  and  ever”  (Rev.  22:  5). 

The  convert  should  in  this  connection  read  carefully 
Luke  19:  12-27.  And  yet  while  here  in  this  life  and 
age,  he  should  never  forget  that  Jesus  is  even  now 
King  of  saints ;  and  yield  to  Him  the  homage  of  His 
supreme  love,  and  the  uncompromising  devotion  of 
His  life.  “Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give 
thee  a  crown  of  life”  (Rev.  2:  10). 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT.  55 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Convert's  Relations  to  the  Holy  Spirit. 

“  He  shall  glorify  me  :  for  he  shall  receive  of  mine,  and  shall  show  it 
unto  you.” — John  16  : 14. 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  one  with  the  Father  and  the  Son 
in  essence  and  all  the  attributes  belonging  to  the  God¬ 
head  He  is  the  executive  of  the  Godhead.  We  see 
this  in  all  the  works  of  God  from  creation  to  the  culmi¬ 
nation  of  the  kingdom.  He  is  the  only  person  of  the 
Godhead  upon  earth.  God  the  Father  is  upon  the  throne 
in  the  midst  of  the  heavens.  God  the  Son  is  at  the 
right  hand  of  the  Father  as  Advocate  and  High  Priest, 
‘‘Whom  the  heaven  must  receive  until  the  times  of  res¬ 
toration  of  all  things,  whereof  God  spake  by  the  mouth 
of  his  holy  prophets  which  have  been  since  the  world 
began”  (Acts  3:21);  meanwhile,  since  the  Day  of 
Pentecost,  the  Holy  Spirit  has  been  upon  earth,  to 
“convict  the  world  in  respect  of  sin,  and  of  righteous¬ 
ness,  and  of  judgment”  (John  16:8)  ;  to  accomplish 
the  regeneration  and  new  birth  for  all  repenting  and 
believing  souls ;  to  dwell  in  believers  and  direct  in  all 
the  work  of  God’s  people,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Fa¬ 
ther.  This  is  the  dispensation  of  the  Spirit. 

Jesus  was  subject  unto  the  Holy  Spirit  in  all  things, 
that  He  might  “fulfill  all  righteousness.”  “In  all  things 
it  behooved  Him  to  be  made  like  unto  His  brethren, 
that  He  might  be  a  merciful  and  faithful  high  priest  in 
things  pertaining  to  God,  to  make  propitiation  for  the 


56  HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 


sins  of  the  people”  (Heb.  2:  17).  Notice  what  a  strik¬ 
ing  analogy  there  is  between  the  relations  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  the  perfect  human  nature  of  Jesus  and  his  re¬ 
lations  to  those  who  are  “made  partakers  of  the  divine 
nature.” 

Jesus,  as  man,  born  of  the  Spirit:  Matt.  1:  18,  20; 
Luke  1 :  35. 

Converts  born  of  the  Spirit:  John  3:  5,  6,  8;  Titus 

3 :  5-7* 

Jesus  anointed  with  the  Spirit:  John  1:32,  33; 
Acts  10:  38. 

Converts  anointed  with  the  Spirit:  1  John  2:  20,  27. 
Jesus  sealed  by  the  Spirit:  John  6:  27. 

Converts  sealed  by  the  Spirit:  Eph  1:13;  2  Cor. 
1:22;  5:5. 

Jesus  led  by  the  Spirit:  Matt.  4:  1. 

Converts  led  by  the  Spirit:  Rom.  8:4,  14;  Gal.  5: 
16-18. 

Jesus  acted  by  the  Spirit:  Matt.  12:28;  Luke  4:  14, 
18 ;  John  3:24;  Acts  1 :  2. 

Converts  to  act  by  the  Spirit:  John  7:38,  39;  Acts 
1:8;  Rom.  8 :  26. 

Jesus  justified  in  the  Spirit :  1  Tim.  3 :  16. 

Converts  justified  in  the  Spirit :  1  Cor.  6:11. 

Jesus  ofifered  Himself  by  the  Spirit:  Heb.  9:  14. 
Converts  offer  themselves  by  the  Spirit :  Rom.  15  •  16. 
Jesus  was  raised  by  the  Spirit:  Rom.  8:11;  1  Pet. 
3:  18. 

Converts  to  be  raised  by  the  Spirit :  Rom.  8:11;  John 
6:63. 

The  Spirit  abode  upon  Jesus:  John  1:32. 


AS  CON  VICTOR, 


57 


The  Spirit  abides  upon  Converts:  i  Pet.  4:  14. 

Seeing  thus,  how  completely  the  convert  is  identified 
with  Jesus  in  the  Spirit,  it  remains  for  him  to  “walk  in 
the  Spirit,  and  .  .  .  not  fulfill  the  lust  of  the  flesh.” 

First.  As  Convictor. 

“  Now  when  they  heard  this,  they  were  pricked  in  their  heart.”— Acts 
2  :.37‘ 

Jesus  said  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  “When  he  is  come, 
he  will  convict  the  world  in  respect  of  sin,  and  of  right¬ 
eousness,  and  of  judgment”  (John  16:8).  He  will  con¬ 
vict  unchristian  people  of  sin — one  particular  sin.  He 
Himself  tells  us  what  sin  it  is — “of  sin,  because  they  be¬ 
lieve  not  on  me ;”  a  sin  that  no  one,  if  left  to  himself, 
will  ever  admit  is  a  sin,  though  it  makes  God  a  liar 
(1  John  5 :  10),  and  is,  in  essence,  the  root  of  all  sins. 
The  man  who  commits  murder  needs  not  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  convict  him  that  it  is  a  sin :  he  knows  it.  He 
who  steals  knows  it  is  a  sin,  without  the  Holy  Spirit’s 
enlightenment.  The  man  who  gets  drunk  and  cruelly 
beats  his  wife  and  children  knows  that  his  conduct  is 
sinful,  without  the  Holy  Spirit’s  help.  But  the  sin  of 
rejecting  Jesus  as  Saviour  and  Lord ;  of  disbelieving 
“the  record  God  gave  of  his  Son,”  though  the  most 
heinous  of  all  sins,  will  never  be  so  understood  and  be¬ 
lieved  unless  the  Holy  Spirit  shall  “convict  of  sin  .  .  . 
because  they  believed  not  on  me.”  Jesus  was  “man¬ 
ifested  to  put  away  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself” 
(Heb.  9:  26).  Having,  therefore,  dealt  judicially  with 
our  sins,  “nailing”  them  “to  his  cross,”  there  is  nothing 
against  the  unsaved  man,  “the  bond  written  in  ordi- 


58  HIS  RELA  TION  TO  THE  HOT  Y  SPIRIT 


nances"  having  been  “blotted  out”  (Col.  2:  14).  All  of 
this  was  accomplished  for  us  at  infinite  cost.  God  sub¬ 
jected  His  royal  Son  to  such  contempt  and  ignominy, 
such  revilings  and  sufferings,  as  were  never  visited 
upon  any  soul  of  man.  And  it  was  all  because  He  loved 
us,  and  that  we  “should  not  perish,  but  have  everlast¬ 
ing  life."  Now  then,  when  the  unsaved  man  refuses 
to  believe  all  this  and  submit  himself  to  the  authority 
of  heaven,  as  every  unchristian  soul  who  has  ever  heard 
the  Gospel  message  does,  he  commits  the  one  sin  of 
which  the  Holy  Spirit  is  sent  to  convict  the  world. 
Jesus  said,  “He  that  believeth  not  is  condemned  al¬ 
ready,  because  he  hath  not  believed  in  the  name  of  the 
only  begotten  Son  of  God"  (John  3:  18).  Unbelief 
is  therefore  the  condemning  sin.  For  though  Jesus 
“Bore  our  sins  in  his  body  upon  the  tree/’  yet  is  it 
necessary  that  we  should  repent  and  believe  in  order 
that  we  may  have  the  benefits  of  redemption.  If  we 
refuse  to  believe,  “God  shall  take  away  his  part  from 
the  tree  of  life,  and  out  of  the  holy  city,  and  from  the 
things  written  in  this  book”  (Rev.  22:  19).  That  is  to 
say,  if  we  refuse  to  believe,  all  that  God  has  purchased 
for  us  “through  the  redemption  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus” 
is  made  void  and  we  must  perish  in  our  sins ;  and  the 
wrath  of  God  shall  be  visited  upon  us,  not  because  of 
our  sins,  but  because  of  the  one  greatest  of  all  sins — 
unbelief.  “He  that  believeth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see 
life:  but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him”  (John 
3:36).  God  loves  the  vilest  sinner.  The  proof  is 
found  in  the  gift  of  His  Son;  but  when  the  sinner  re¬ 
jects  His  Son,  this,  and  this  alone,  kindles  the  wrath  of 


AS  CONVICTOR. 


59 


God  against  that  sinner.  But  man  can  never  realize 
how  vile  and  great  a  sin  is  unbelief  without  the  Holy 
Spirit’s  help.  And  He  will  convict  all  unchristian  souls, 
who  are  sincerely  desirous  of  knowing  the  truth,  and 
will  abandon  themselves  immediately,  unconditionally* 
and  irreversibly  to  its  requirements. 

He  will  also  convict  the  world  “of  righteousness,  be¬ 
cause  I  go  to  the  Father/*  “The  law  is  holy,  and  the 
commandment  holy,  and  righteous,  and  good”  (Rom. 
7:  1 2).  Therefore  nothing  short  of  exact  conformity 
to  the  law,  and  absolute  obedience  to  the  command¬ 
ments,  can  satisfy  the  demands  of  justice,  since  justice, 
of  necessity,  must  be  inexorable  in  her  demands.  Jesus 
is  the  only  one  who  perfectly  obeyed,  or  kept  the  whole 
law.  “For  Christ  is  the  end  of  the  law  unto  righteous¬ 
ness  to  every  one  that  believeth”  (Rom.  10:4).  The 
proof  of  this  is  given  in  His  return  unto  the  Father. 
He  said,  “I  glorified  thee  on  the  earth,  having  accom¬ 
plished  the  work  which  thou  hast  given  me  to  do.” 

He  will  likewise  convict  the  world  “of  judgment,  be¬ 
cause  the  prince  of  this  world  hath  been  judged.” 
Not  of  “judgment  to  come,”  but  of  judgment  already 
accomplished.  Satan  is  “prince  of  this  world.”  He 
is  a  usurper.  He  “now  worketh  in  the  children  of  dis¬ 
obedience.”  He  has  no  right  to  rule  in  the  life  of  any¬ 
one.  “Christ  redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of  the  law, 
having  become  a  curse  for  us”  (Gal.  3:  13)  ;  and  thus 
we  “are  bought  with  a  price:  glorify  God  therefore  in 
your  body”  (1  Cor.  7:20).  Satan  is  waiting  the  day 
of  his  doom,  having  been  judged  and  sentenced  by  the 
Judge  Eternal.  Why  then  should  any  man  suffer  him 


6o  HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 


to  rule  in  his  life?  or  even,  for  one  moment,  to  ac¬ 
knowledge  his  claims?  Jesus  alone  has  authority;  and 
men  everywhere  should  recognize  it,  and  submit  them¬ 
selves  to  Him,  as  rightful  ruler. 

It  belongs  to  the  office  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  con¬ 
vince  the  world  “of  sin,  of  righteousness,  and  of 
judgment;”  and  He  will  surely  perform  this  work  for 
all  who  will  be  taught  of  Him. 

Second.  As  Regenerator  ! 

“  The  washing  of  regeneration,  and  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost.” — 
Titus  3  : 5. 

It  also  belongs  to  his  office  to  accomplish  the  regen¬ 
eration  and  new  birth  in  the  case  of  all  who  will  repent 
and  believe.  Jesus  said,  “Except  a  man  be  born  anew, 
he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God”  (John  3:3).  “But 
as  many  as  received  him,  to  them  gave  he  the  right  to 
become  children  of  God,  even  to  them  that  believed  on 
his  name:  which  were  born,  not  of  blood  (that  is,  by 
the  law  of  natural  descent),  nor  of  the  will  of  the 
flesh  (that  is,  by  human  device),  nor  of  the  will  of  man 
(that  is,  by  human  desire),  but  of  God”  (John  1 :  12, 
13).  Jesus  Christ  can  be  believed  and  received  in  no 
other  way  than  through  the  word  of  truth  by  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Jesus  said,  “The  words  that  I  have  spoken 
unto  you  are  spirit,  and  are  life”  (John  6:63).  The 
words  of  life  contain  the  germs  of  the  new  nature ;  and 
if  they  are  received  into  the  mind  and  heart  bv  a  re- 
penting  and  believing  soul,  one  who  believes  them  with 
unquestioning  faith,  and  submits,  whole-hearted  and 
irreversibly  to  their  authority,  just  as  good  seed  planted 
in  good  soil,  under  the  influence  of  rain  and  sunshine, 


AS  REGENERATOR. 


61 


will  germinate  and  spring  up  to  reproduce  itself;  just 
so,  under  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  will  the 
words  of  life  germinate  and  issue  in  the  new  birth, 
and  that  believer  pass  out  of  death  into  life,  saved 
'‘through  the  washing  of  regeneration  and  renewing  of 
the  Holy  Ghost”  (Titus  3:  5).  It  is  of  God — “Of  his 
own  will  he  brought  us  forth  by  the  word  of  truth” 
(James  1 :  18)  ;  we  having  “received  with  meekness  the 
implanted  word,  which  is  able  to  save  your  souls” 
(James  1:21)  ;  “having  been  begotten  again,  not  of 
corruptible  seed,  but  of  incorruptible,  through  the  word 
of  God,  which  liveth  and  abideth  forever”  ( 1  Pet.  1 : 
23).  We  may  not  formulate  the  law  of  the  Spirit’s 
operations,  since  God’s  ways  and  thoughts  are  as  much 
above  man’s  as  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth 
(Isa.  55:89);  so  then,  when  Nicodemus  asked  the 
Saviour,  “How  can  a  man  be  born  when  he  is  old?” 
Jesus  made  answer,  “The  Spirit  (to  pneuma)  breatheth 
where  he  will  and  thou  hearest  his  voice,  but  canst 
not  tell  whence  he  cometh,  nor  whither  he  goeth :  thus 
it  is  with  every  one  that  is  born  of  the  Spirit”  (to 
pneuma)  (John  3:8). 

Having  thus  briefly  considered  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  conviction,  and  the  regeneration  and  new 
birth,  let  us  next  examine  into  His  work  with  and  for 
the  child  of  God,  and  the  convert’s  relations  to  Him. 


62  HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Convert's  Relations  to  the  Holy  Spirit. 

—  {Continued. ) 

Third.  As  Witnesser. 

“And  because  ye  are  sons,  God  sent  forth  the  Spirit  of  his  Son  into 
our  hearts,  crying,  Abba,  Father.” — Gal.  4:6. 

“Because  ye  are  sons.”  Not  in  order  that  ye  may 
become  sons,  nor  yet  that  ye  may  know  ye  are  sons; 
“For  ye  are  all  sons  of  God,  through  faith,  in  Christ 
Jesus,,  (Gal.  3:26).  “Ye  are  sons,”  because  ye  have 
believed  on  Jesus  Christ  with  the  heart;  and  ye  know 
“ye  are  sons"  because  God's  Word  says  so,  over  and 
over  again ;  and  this  is  how  we  know  it :  “These  things 
have  I  written  unto  you,  that  ye  may  know  that  ye 
have  eternal  life,  even  unto  you  that  believe  on  the 
name  of  the  Son  of  God”  (1  John  5:  13).  A  witness 
is  for  confirmation.  Therefore,  “Because  ye  are  sons, 
God  sent  forth  the  Spirit  of  his  Son  into  our  hearts, 
crying,  Abba,  Father.” 

There  are  those  who  teach,  You  are  not  to  believe 
you  are  sons  until  you  feel  it.  This  is  wholly  unscrip- 
tural  and  tantamount  to  saying,  Do  not  believe  what 
God  says  about  it.  Such  teaching,  if  accepted,  will 
surely  lead  into  the  mazes  of  uncertainty,  the  cherish¬ 
ing  of  false  hopes,  and  to  despair.  That  our  feel¬ 
ings  are  affected  by  the  operations  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  witnessing  is  doubtless  true;  but  our  feelings 
are  influenced  by  so  very  many  things  that  they 
are  wholly  unreliable  as  authority  in  this  matter,  and 


AS  WJ TNESSER. 


63 


so  capricious  as  to  be  not  even  a  trustworthy 
monitor. 

Let  us  now  turn  to  God’s  Word  and  find  what  it 
teaches  concerning  this  matter.  Jesus  said,  “Howbeit 
when  he,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  is  come,  he  shall  guide 
you  into  all  the  truth :  for  he  shall  not  speak  from  him¬ 
self;  but  what  things  soever  he  shall  hear,  these  shall 
he  speak :  and  he  shall  declare  unto  you  the  things  that 
are  to  come.  He  shall  glorify  me :  for  he  shall  take  of 
mine,  and  shall  declare  it  unto  you.  All  things  whatso¬ 
ever  the  Father  hath  are  mine,  therefore  said  I,  that 
he  taketh  of  mine,  and  shall  declare  it  unto  you”  (John 
16:13-15).  Jesus  alone  is  the  Saviour — the  “utter¬ 
most”  Saviour.  The  Holy  Spirit  will  speak  from 
Him,  guiding  into  all  the  truths  and  revealing  Him  in 
all  His  glorious  offices  as  Saviour  to  the  “willing  and 
obedient”  soul.  Not,  however,  apart  from  what  the 
Word  tells  us  of  Him;  for  by  the  Word  alone  do  we 
have  this  information.  But  it  is  not  in  “words  which 
man’s  wisdom  teacheth,  but  which  the  Spirit  teach- 
eth ;  comparing  spiritual  things  with  spiritual.  Now 
the  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit 
of  God :  for  they  are  foolishness  unto  him ;  and  he 
cannot  know  them,  because  they  are  spiritually 
judged”  (1  Cor.  2:  13,  14).  Therefore  is  it  written, 
“If  we  receive  the  witness  of  men,  the  witness  of  God 
is  greater :  for  the  witness  of  God  is  this,  that  he  hath 
borne  witness  concerning  his  Son.  He  that  believeth 
on  the  Son  of  God  hath  the  witness  in  him :  he  that 
believeth  not  God  hath  made  him  a  liar;  because  he 
hath  not  believed  in  the  witness  that  God  hath  borne 


64  HIS  DELATION  TO  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 


concerning  his  Son.  And  the  witness  is  this,  that  God 
gave  unto  us  eternal  life,  and  this  life  is  in  his  Son. 
He  that  hath  the  Son  hath  the  life ;  he  that  hath  not 
the  Son  of  God  hath  not  the  life.  These  things  have 
I  written  unto  you,  that  ye  may  know  that  ye  have 
eternal  life,  even  unto  you  that  believe  on  the  name  of 
the  Son  of  God’’  (i  John  5:9-13). 

But  it  may  be  asked,  How  is  one  to  know  when  the 
Spirit  witnesses  to  the  fact  of  sonship?  In  Gal.  5: 
22,  23,  we  are  told,  “But  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love, 
joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  kindness,  goodness,  faith¬ 
fulness,  meekness,  temperance;”  and  elsewhere,  pa¬ 
tience,  virtue — which  is  courage — and  knowledge  : 
twelve  fruits  spoken  of  as  “fruit.”  “By  their  fruits 
ye  shall  know  them.”  It  is  the  proper,  and  therefore 
safe,  way  to  “Try  your  own  selves,  whether  ye  be  in 
the  faith”  (2  Cor.  13:5).  Let  us  see: 

First.  Love.  Before  you  were  a  son  of  God,  you 
did  not  love  God;  you  did  not  love  His  Word;  you 
did  not  love  His  people ;  but  you  loved  the  ways  of 
unrighteousness.  Now  you  love  God ;  you  love  His 
Word ;  you  love  His  people ;  and  you  know  it  if  you  do. 
For  while  we  may  not  formulate  the  law  of  the  opera¬ 
tion  of  love,  yet  do  we  know  we  love,  if  we  do.  There¬ 
fore,  if  we  love  God  and  the  things  of  God,  we  know 
the  Spirit  bears  witness  to  our  spirit  that  we  are  the 
children  of  God,  for  “the  love  of  God  hath  been  shed 
abroad  in  our  hearts  through  the  Holy  Ghost  which 
was  given  unto  us”  (Rom.  5:5). 

Second.  Joy.  Before  you  were  “born  again”  you 
knew  nothing  of  joy.  You  found  a  certain  kind  and 


AS  WITNESSER. 


65 


amount  of  pleasure  in  many  things,  but  no  joy.  Your 
soul  was  unsatisfied  with  the  things  of  time  and  sense ; 
for  since  it  is  created  in  God’s  image,  nothing  but  God 
can  satisfy  all  its  deep  thirst,  and  hunger,  and  yearn¬ 
ing.  ‘‘The  Lord  is  my  portion,  saith  my  soul”  (Lam. 
3:24)  ;  and  “I  shall  be  satisfied,  when  I  awake,  with 
thy  likeness”  (Psa.  17:  15).  You  came  to  understand 
these  statements  somewhat,  when  you  “passed  out  of 
death  into  life” — awakening  from  spiritual  death  into 
the  likeness  of  Christ;  “For  the  kingdom  of  God 
is  not  eating  and  drinking,  but  righteousness  and 
peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost  (Rom.  14:  17)  ;  for 
“the  God  of  hope”  had  filled  “you  with  all  joy  and 
peace  in  believing,  that  ye  may  abound  in  hope,  in  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost”  (Rom.  15 :  13).  By  the  joy 
of  your  soul  you  know  the  Spirit  witnesseth  to  the 
fact  of  sonship. 

Third.  Peace.  Once  you  were  an  enemy  of  God 
by  wicked  works.  You  learned  that  Jesus  had  “made 
peace  through  the  blood  of  his  cross.  .  .  .  And  you, 
being  in  time  past  alienated  and  enemies  in  your  mind 
in  your  evil  works,  yet  now  hath  he  reconciled  in  the 
body  of  his  flesh  through  death,  to  present  you  holy 
and  without  blemish  and  unreprovable  before  him” 
(Col.  1:20-22);  and  you  laid  down  the  weapons  of 
your  unequal  strife,  and  surrendered  at  discretion,  to 
be  made  conformable  to  the  revealed  will  of  God,  and 
you  have  since  had  “peace  with  God  through  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.”  The  war  is  over  and  your  “fellowship 
is  with  the  Father  and  with  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.” 

And  it  is  all  through  the  Spirit.  If  you  have  “the 

5 


66  HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 


peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  understanding, ”  you 
certainly  know  you  have  the  “witness  of  the  Spirit/’ 

Fourth.  Long-suffering.  ‘‘Love  suffereth  long, 
and  is  kind.”  It  is  the  grace  of  forbearance.  Some 
one  does  you  a  gross  wrong.  You  have  no  desire  to  be 
revenged,  to  return  “evil  for  evil.”  It  was  not  always 
so.  According  to  the  law  of  the  natural  man  you 
w'ould  quickly  resent  the  wTrong,  and  pay  the  one  who 
wronged  you  back  with  interest,  many  fold,  kind  for 
kind.  Something  must  have  taken  place  in  your  life. 
You  have  a  wholly  different  spirit  and  mind  from  what 
you  once  had.  The  change  has  indeed  been  radical. 
Who  but  the  Holy  Spirit  could  work  such  a  change? 
It  is  proof  of  His  witnessing. 

Fifth.  Kindness.  You  may  find,  also,  even  a 
higher  form  of  “the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ 
Jesus”  operating  in  your  life.  It  manifests  itself  in  the 
grace  or  fruit  of  kindness,  wherein  you  can  “love  your 
enemies,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you,  bless  them 
that  curse  you,”  and  “pray  for  them  that  despitefully 
use  you”  (Luke  6:  27,  28).  This  is  wholly  unnatural, 
and  is  the  very  highest  form  and  most  heavenly  aspect 
of  the  Christ  life.  If  it  manifests  itself  in  vour  life  it 
is  a  demonstration  of  the  glorious  fact  that  the  “Holy 
Spirit  witnesses  to  our  spirit  that  we  are  the  children 
of  God.” 

Sixth.  Goodness.  “For  I  know  that  in  me,  that 
is,  in  my  flesh,  dwelleth  no  good  thing”  (Rom.  7:  18). 
Jesus  said,  “One  there  is  who  is  good.”  Because  of 
this,  doubtless,  Paul  said,  “And  have  no  confidence  in 
the  flesh”  (Phil.  3:3).  Jesus  wrent  about  doing  good. 


AS  WITNESSER. 


6  7 


His  great,  loving  heart  was  continually  burdened  be¬ 
cause  of  the  sorrows  and  sufferings  He  saw  on  every 
hand  while  among  men;  and  He  gave  Himself  cease¬ 
lessly  to  the  work  of  relieving  them.  Have  we  the 
same  spirit?  Are  we  bearing  like  burdens  and  doing- 
like  work?  If  so,  it  is  because  of  the  Spirit’s  witness¬ 
ing. 

Seventh.  Faith  signifies  faithfulness.  Faith  is 
not  faith  if  we  believe  to-day  and  disbelieve  or  even 
doubt  to-morrow.  Faith  is  the  confidence  of  things 
hoped  for,  the  demonstration  of  things  not  seen.  Faith 
is  the  very  highest  form  of  knowledge.  At  its  root  is 
faithfulness.  ‘‘Faith  cometh  by  hearing,  and  hearing 
by  the  word  of  God.”  “Jesus  therefore  said,  ...  If 
ye  abide  in  my  word,  then  are  ye  truly  my  disciples” 
(John  8:31).  Of  course,  there  goes  with  this  the  fact 
of  fidelity  to  every  trust  and  duty,  since  “faith  without 
works  is  dead”  (James  2:  20).  Therefore,  if  you  find 
you  have  an  unquestioning  faith  in  God,  and  are  ask¬ 
ing,  “Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do?”  and  are 
doing  your  best  to  “glorify  God  in  your  body,”  you 
may  be  sure  you  have  “the  witness  of  the  Spirit.” 

Eighth.  Meekness.  “He  will  beautify  the  meek 
with  salvation”  (Psa.  149:4).  “The  meek  shall  eat 
and  be  satisfied”  (Psa.  22:26).  “The  meek  will  he 
guide  in  judgment”  (Psa.  25:9).  “The  meek  shall 
inherit  the  earth.”  “The  meek  shall  ...  be  glad”  (Psa. 
69:32).  “The  Lord  lifteth  up  the  meek”  (Psa.  147: 
6).  “The  meek  shall  increase  their  joy”  (Tsa.  29:  19). 
“The  ornament  of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit,  which  is 
in  the  sight  of  God  of  great  price”  (1  Pet.  3:4).  Be- 


68  HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 


fore  you  were  a  believer  you  may  have  been  irascible, 
ruled  by  a  hot  temper.  Now  you  rule  it,  and  instead 
have  “a  meek  and  quiet  spirit.'1  Without  doubt  it  is 
the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Ninth.  Temperance  is  a  fruit  of  the  Spirit.  Its 
meaning  is  not  limited  to  abstinence  from  the  use  of 
intoxicating  liquors.  One  may  be  intemperate  in  what 
he  eats,  in  what  she  wears,  in  what  they  say.  The 
temperance  mentioned  here  is  that  self-restraint  and 
control  that  ever  characterized  the  life  of  our  Saviour, 
by  which  the  whole  life  is  dominated  by  the  law  of  the 
Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus.11  Is  your  life  thus  or¬ 
dered?  If  so,  then  it  must  be  because  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  bearing  witness. 

Tenth.  Patience.  Before  you  became  a  Chris¬ 
tian  the  burdens,  sorrows,  conflicts,  and  trials  of  life 
vexed  and  worried  you,  and  caused  you  to  murmur 
and  complain  at  your  hard  lot  in  life.  How  is  it  now? 
Have  you  learned  that  God  “doeth  all  things  well?11 
that  “All  things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that 
love  God,  to  them  who  are  the  called  according  to  his 
purpose ?”  (Rom.  8:  28),  that  “Whom  the  Lord  loveth 
he  ehasteneth,  and  scourgeth  every  son  whom  he  re- 
ceiveth.  It  is  for  chastening  that  ye  endure ;  God 
dealeth  with  you  as  with  sons ;  for  what  son  is  there 
whom  his  father  ehasteneth  not?  But  if  ye  are  with¬ 
out  chastening  whereof  all  have  been  made  partakers, 
then  are  ye  bastards,  and  not  sons”  (Heb.  12:6-8). 
Are  you  bearing  the  burdens  laid  upon  you,  without 
complaint?  Are  you  patiently  enduring  the  trials  and 
conflicts  of  life  as  “a  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ,”  and 


AS  WITNESSED 


69 


unmurmuringly  the  sorrows  and  sufferings  of  your 
lot?  Well,  “Let  patience  have  its  perfect  work,  that  ye 
may  be  perfect  and  entire,  lacking  in  nothing”  (James 
1:4).  Patience  is  a  fruit  of  the  Spirit. 

Eleventh.  Virtue — or  courage — is  also  a  fruit 
of  the  Spirit.  Before  you  became  a  “son  of  God 
through  faith  in  Christ  Jesus”  you  were  morally  a 
coward.  You  were  fearful  to  meet  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel,  lest  he  would  speak  to  you  about  your  soul’s 
salvation.  In  times  of  revival  you  would  absent  your¬ 
self  from  the  meetings  if  you  thought  anyone  was  at 
all  likely  to  speak  to  you  on  the  subject  of  the  Chris¬ 
tian  religion.  And  when  at  last  you  resolved  to  take 
a  stand  for  Christ  you  remember  how  your  heart  went 
faster  and  you  trembled  as  with  palsy.  The  fear  of 
man  terrorized  you.  Has  that  all  gone?  Are  you  a 
good  brave  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ?  No  fear  of  man 
any  more?  Ready  to  do  your  part  for  the  Master, 
willingly  and  gladly?  Well,  since  “perfect  love  casteth 
out  fear”  (1  John  4:  18),  you  must  have  been  “made 
perfect  in  love.”  What  stronger  proof  could  be  given 
that  the  Spirit  witnesses  to  the  fact  of  your  sonship? 

Twelfth.  Knowledge.  Before  you  were  a  Chris¬ 
tian,  “being  ignorant  of  God’s  righteousness,  you  went 
about  to  establish  your  own  righteousness,”  as  the 
Pharisee  of  old  (Rom.  10:3).  But  you  were  con¬ 
vinced  “of  sin  and  of  righteousness  and  of  judgment” 
(John  16:8).  You  came  to  know  that  in  you,  that  is, 
in  your  flesh,  dwelleth  no  good  thing  (Rom.  7:  18)  ; 
that  Jesus  had  become  “the  end  of  the  law  unto  right¬ 
eousness  to  every  one  that  believeth”  (Rom.  10:4). 


70  HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 


The  Word  of  God  was  opened  to  you.  You  came 
thereby  to  know  the  meaning  of  the  words,  ‘‘Faith 
cometh  of  hearing,  and  hearing  by  the  Word  of  God” 
(Rom.  10:17);  and  to  understand  how  it  is  that 
“Faith  is  the  assurance  of  things  hoped  for,  the  prov¬ 
ing  of  things  not  seen”  (Heb.  11:  1).  You  believed 
on  the  Lord  Jesus  “with  the  heart  unto  righteousness, 
and  with  the  mouth  made  confession  unto  salvation” 
(Rom.  10:8-10);  and  now  you  can  truthfully  and 
with  confidence  say,  “I  know  whom  I  have  believed, 
and  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to  guard  that  which 
I  have  committed  unto  him  against  that  day”  (2  Tim. 
1 : 12). 

And  so  it  is  that  “By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know 
them “For  if  these  things  are  yours  and  abound, 
they  make  you  to  be  not  idle  nor  unfruitful  unto  the 
knowledge  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ”  (2  Pet.  1:8). 

Fourth.  As  Sealer. 

“And  grieve  not  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  in  whom  ye  were  sealed  unto 
the  day  of  redemption.” — Eph.  4  :  30. 

Sealing  is  that  which  makes  a  document  genuine. 
One  may  possess  a  government  bill,  printed  upon  gen¬ 
uine  government  paper,  and  signed  by  the  proper  of¬ 
ficials;  but,  until  the  little  red  seal  of  the  United  States 
Government  is  stamped  upon  it,  its  value  is  only  that 
of  waste  paper.  As  soon  as  it  receives  the  impress  of 
that  seal  it  is  worth  the  amount  in  kind  of  coin  indi¬ 
cated  upon  it.  One  may  call  himself  a  Christian,  may 
belong  to  an  orthodox  church  and  pass  for  a  Chris¬ 
tian  among  men,  and  yet  in  fact  not  be  one,  and  be  re¬ 
jected  at  the  bar  of  God’s  judgment.  “If  any  man 


AS  EARNEST. 


7 1 


have  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ  he  is  none  of  his”  (Rom. 
8:9).  Therefore,  the  question,  “Did  ye  receive  the 
Holy  Ghost  when  ye  believed ?”  (Acts  19.2,)  is  one 
of  great  and  far-reaching  importance. 

Fifth.  As  Earnest. 

“In  whom,  having  also  believed,  ye  were  sealed  with  the  Holy  Spirit 
of  promise,  which  is  an  earnest  of  our  inheritance,”  etc. — Eph.  i  :  13,  14. 

In  law  earnest  money  is  first  payment — that  which 
binds  the  contract.  That  is,  if  I  agree  with  a  man  to 
give  him  a  certain  sum  for  a  certain  piece  of  property, 
and  then  pay  him  ten  dollars  of  the  amount,  that  binds 
the  bargain ;  the  property  is  then  mine  in  law.  The 
ten  dollars  in  such  a  case  is  called  earnest  money.  To 
every  one  who  “conimits”  himself  “unto  the  Lord,”  to 
'‘trust  also  in  him,”  God  has  promised  to  “bring  it  to 
pass”  (Psa.  37:5).  He  has  promised  to  “guard  that 
which”  is  “committed  unto  him  against  that  day” 
(2  Tim.  1  :  12).  He  has  entered  into  covenant  with  the 
believer  to  give  him  victory  over  death,  the  grave,  and 
hell  (1  Cor.  15:  51-57;  Rev.  20:  11-15 ;  7:  13-17),  and 
bring  him  at  last  into  possession  of  the  heavenly  inher¬ 
itance.  (See  John  14:1-3.)  The  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  binds  the  agreement.  And  also  “By  two  im¬ 
mutable  things,  in  which  it  is  impossible  for  God  to 
lie,  we  may  have  a  strong  encouragement,  who  have 
fled  for  refuge  to  lay  hold  of  the  hope  set  before  us ; 
which  hope  we  have  as  an  anchor  of  the  soul,  a  hope 
both  sure  and  steadfast  and  entering  into  that  which 
is  within  the  veil ;  whither  as  a  forerunner  Jesus  en¬ 
tered  for  us,  having  become  a  high  priest  forever  after 
the  order  of  Melchizedek”  (Heb.  6:  18-20). 


72  HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 


Sixth.  As  Teacher. 

“The  Holy  Spirit,  whom  the  Father  will  send  in  my  name,  he  shall 
teach  you  all  things.” — John  14  126. 

Even  though  we  have  the  Word  of  God,  which  con¬ 
tains  all  we  need  to  know  of  God's  will  concerning  us 
and  the  responsibilities  under  which  we  rest  to  Him 
and  our  fellow-men,  and  study  the  same  carefully,  crit¬ 
ically,  and  with  utmost  diligence,  yet  is  it  a  sealed 
book  unless  the  Holy  Spirit  teaches  us.  “For  the  letter 
killeth,  but  the  Spirit  giveth  life'’  (2  Cor.  3:6). 
“The  Spirit  searcheth  all  things,  yea,  the  deep  things 
of  God.  For  who  among  men  knoweth  the  things 
of  a  man,  save  the  spirit  of  the  man,  which  is  in 
him?  even  so  the  things  of  God  none  knoweth, 
save  the  Spirit  of  God.  But  we  received,  not 
the  spirit  of  the  world,  but  the  Spirit  which  is  of 
God ;  that  we  might  know  the  things  that  are  free¬ 
ly  given  to  us  of  God.  Which  things  also  we  speak, 
not  in  words  which  man's  wisdom  teacheth,  but  which 
the  Spirit  teacheth ;  comparing  spiritual  things  with 
spiritual.  Now  the  natural  man  receiveth  not  the 
things  of  the  Spirit  of  God :  for  they  are  foolishness 
unto  him ;  and  he  cannot  know  them,  because  they  are 
spiritually  judged"  (1  Cor.  2:  10-14).  Jesus  said, 
“He  shall  take  of  mine,  and  shall  declare  it  unto  you," 
and  “guide  into  all  truth."  It  is  also  said  in  1  John 
2:27,  “The  anointing  which  ye  received  of  him  abid- 
eth  in  you,  and  ye  need  not  that  any  teach  you ;  but  as 
his  anointing  teacheth  you  concerning  all  things,  and 
is  true,  and  is  no  lie,  and  even  as  it  taught  you,  ye 
abide  in  him." 


AS  SANCTIFIER. 


73 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Convert’s  Relations  to  the  Holy  Spirit. 

—  ( Continued .) 

Seventh.  As  Sanctifier. 

“  This  is  the  will  of  God  even,  your  sanctification.” — i  Thess.  4  :  3. 

To  begin  with,  let  us  note  two  things :  First.  Sanc¬ 
tification  is  enjoined  upon  believers:  '‘Like  as  he 
which  called  you  is  holy,  be  ye  yourselves  also  holy 
in  all  manner  of  living;  because  it  is  written,  Ye  shall 
be  holy;  for  I  am  holy”  (1  Pet  1:15,  16).  Therefore 
it  is  not  optional  with  us;  believers  are  under  obliga¬ 
tions  to  be  holy :  God  commands  it.  To  refuse  is  to 
disobey  Him ;  and  that  is  sin.  As  believers  we  must 
conform  to  the  plainly  revealed  will  of  God.  And 
"This  is  the  will  of  God,  even  your  sanctification 
Second.  We  cannot  be  used  of  God  unless  we  are 
sanctified.  "If  a  man  therefore  purge  himself  from 
these,  he  shall  be  a  vessel  unto  honor,  sanctified,  meet 
for  the  Master's  use,  prepared  unto  every  good  work” 
(2  Tim.  2:21).  In  Exod.  29:44  we  are  told,  "I  will 
sanctify  the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation,  and  the 
altar :  I  will  sanctify  both  Aaron  and  his  sons,  to  min¬ 
ister  to  me  in  the  priests"  office. ”  In  John  17:  19  Je¬ 
sus  said,  "And  for  their  sakes  I  sanctify  myself,  that 
they  themselves  also  may  be  sanctified  in  truth.”  Now 
then,  since  the  tabernacle  and  the  altar  could  not  be 
used  of  God  unsanctified,  and  Aaron  and  his  sons 
were  not  fit  "to  minister  ...  in  the  priests’  office”  un¬ 
til  sanctified,  and  the  Master  Himself  deemed  it  neces- 


74  HIS  DELATION  TO  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 


sary  to  be  sanctified  that  He  might  “fulfill  all  right¬ 
eousness/’  surely  we  have  no  sufficient  grounds  for  be¬ 
lieving  that  God  can  or  will  use  us  if  we  refuse  to  be 
sanctified,  especially  since  it  is  His  will  that  we  should 
be.  Doubtless  God  can  and  does  overrule  in  an  unsanc¬ 
tified  life  in  the  interests  of  His  Church  and  people  ; 
but  I  am  equally  certain  that  He  does  not  rule  in  such 
a  life.  He  does  not  use  an  unsanctified  instrument. 

Since  there  is  much  ignorance  among  believers  as 
to  what  is  the  real  meaning  of  sanctification,  and  not 
a  little  prejudice  against  it,  it  will  be  doubtless  well 
for  us  to  define  ourselves  that  we  may  be  understood. 
First,  then:  Primarily  and  fundamentally  sanctify 
means  to  separate,  to  set  apart.  In  the  Old  Testament 
the  Hebrew  word  Quadcsh  is  almost  invariably  ren¬ 
dered  into  three  English  words,  viz.,  “holy,”  “con¬ 
secrate/'  and  “sanctify,"  which  words  are  therefore 
very  properly  used  interchangeably.  The  same  is  true 
in  the  New  Testament  save  as  to  the  word  “conse¬ 
crate,”  the  Greek  words  Hagios  and  Hagiazo  being 
rendered  “holy”  and  “sanctify"  and  meaning  to  sepa¬ 
rate,  to  set  apart.  Therefore,  we  understand  that 
“sanctify"  means  to  separate,  to  set  apart.  A  number 
of  the  epistles  are  addressed  “to  the  saints,”  etc.  The 
word  “saint"  is  from  the  Latin  word  sanctos,  which 
means  one  set  apart  or  separated.  The  believer  who 
is  wholly  given  up  to  God  to  be  conformed  unto  His 
revealed  will  is  sanctified,  is  holy,  is  a  saint. 

There  is  a  secondary  aspect  of  the  case.  It  has  tc  do 
with  the  moral  state  of  the  believer.  The  late  Profess¬ 
or  A.  A.  Hodge,  of  Princeton,  once  said,  “If  the  will 


AS  SANCTIFIED. 


75 


as  to  the  moral  state  is  conformed  to  the  law  of  God, 

then  the  man  will  be  without  sin.”  In  justification  we 

are  delivered  from  the  guilt  of  sin.  In  regeneration 

we  are  delivered  from  the  pollution  and  defilement  of 

sin — “a  new  creature:  the  old  things  are  passed  away; 

behold,  they  are  become  new”  (2  Cor.  5:17).  In 

sanctification  we  are  delivered  from  the  domination  of 

sin,  that  it  should  not  "reign  in  your  mortal  body,  that 

* 

ye  should  obey  it  in  the  lusts  thereof”  (Rom.  6:  12). 

Another  thing  that  should  be  clearly  understood  is 
this :  The  believer's  judicial  standing  before  God  is  one 
thing,  and  his  moral  state  among  men  quite  another. 
Unless  this  is  properly  understood  and  recognized, 
confusion  and  trouble  will  surely  follow,  and  the  be¬ 
liever  will,  in  all  probability,  become  a  legalist,  toward 
which  we  are  all  naturally  inclined.  "The  law  is  holy, 
and  the  commandment  holy,  and  righteous,  and  good.” 
The  law  requires  absolute  obedience.  No  man  ever 
kept  the  whole  law  absolutely.  Jesus,  however,  be¬ 
cause  of  His  perfect  obedience,  "is  the  end  of  the  law 
unto  righteousness  to  every  one  that  believeth”  (Rom. 
10:4).  The  whole  case  is  thus  clearly  stated  in  Rom. 
3:  19-29:  “Now  we  know  that  what  things  soever  the 
law  saith,  it  speaketh  to  them  that  are  under  the  law ; 
that  every  mouth  may  be  stopped,  and  all  the  world 
may  be  brought  under  the  judgment  of  God:  because 
by  the  works  of  the  law  shall  no  flesh  be  justified  in 
his  sight:  for  through  the  law  cometh  the  knowledge 
of  sin.  But  now  apart  from  the  law  a  righteousness 
of  God  hath  been  manifested,  being  witnessed  bv  the 
law  and  the  prophets ;  even  the  righteousness  through 


76  HIS  RE  LA  TION  TO  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 


God  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  unto  all  them  that 
believe ;  for  there  is  no  distinction ;  for  all  have 
sinned,  and  fall  short  of  the  glory  of  God;  being  jus¬ 
tified  freely  by  his  grace  through  the  redemption  that 
is  in  Christ  Jesus:  whom  God  set  forth  to  be  a  pro¬ 
pitiation,  through  faith,  by  his  blood,  to  show  his  right¬ 
eousness,  because  of  the  passing  over  of  the  sins  done 
aforetime,  in  the  forbearance  of  God ;  for  the  showing, 
I  say,  of  his  righteousness  at  this  present  season :  that 
he  might  himself  be  just,  and  the  justifier  of  him  that 
hath  faith  in  Jesus.  Where  then  is  the  glorying?  It 
is  excluded.  Bv  what  manner  of  law?  of  works? 
Nay:  but  by  the  law  of  faith.  We  reckon  therefore 
that  a  man  is  justified  by  faith  apart  from  the  works 
of  the  law."  When  God  justifies  the  believer  he  be¬ 
comes  as  guiltless  as  though  he  had  never  sinned. 
Therefore,  judicially,  he  may  very  properly  say,  ‘‘As 
he  (Jesus)  is,  even  so  are  we  in  this  world”  (i  John 
4:  1 7).  It  is  all  put  to  Jesus's  account,  and  thus  the 
believer  becomes  as  guiltless  before  God  as  the  merci¬ 
ful  Saviour.  Praise  His  glorious  name !  we  are  pre¬ 
sented  “perfect  in  Christ  Jesus:”  .  .  .  “holy  and  un¬ 
blamable  (without  spot)  and  unreprovable  (without 
charge)  in  his  sight"  (Col.  1 :  28,  22)  ;  “set  before  the 
presence  of  his  glory  without  blemish  in  exceeding 
joy”  (Jude  24).  “Who  shall  lay  anything  to  the 
charge  of  God’s  elect?  It  is  God  that  justifieth;  who 
is  he  that  shall  condemn?  It  is  Christ  Jesus  that  died, 
vea  rather,  that  was  raised  from  the  dead,  who  is  at 
the  right  hand  of  God,  who  also  maketh  intercession 
for  us”  (Rom.  8:33,  34). 


AS  SANCTIFIED. 


77 


The  believer's  moral  state  is  quite  another  thing. 
Morally  he  is  necessarily  imperfect.  John  Wesley  once 
said :  “I  believe  there  is  no  such  perfection  in  this  life 
as  excludes  these  involuntary  transgressions  which  I 
apprehend  to  be  naturally  consequent  on  the  ignorance 
and  mistakes  inseparable  from  mortality.  And  these 
mistakes  will  frequently  occasion  something  wrong  in 
our  temper,  words,  and  actions.  For  want  of  better 
bodily  organs,  they  must  at  times  think,  speak,  and 
act  wrong.  Therefore  'sinless  perfection'  is  a  phrase 
I  never  use,  lest  I  should  seem  to  contradict  myself. 
I  believe  a  person  filled  with  the  love  of  God  is  still 
liable  to  involuntary  transgressions.'’  The  holiest  of 
men,  as  certainly  as  they  know  themselves  and  the 
teaching  of  the  Word  of  God,  and  are  honest,  will  ad¬ 
mit  that,  as  to  the  moral  state,  they  are  imperfect  and 
fail  to  measure  up  to  all  the  requirements  of  God's 
holy  law.  But  with  all  our  ignorance,  weakness,  and 
imperfections,  if  we  sincerely  believe  and  trust  Him, 
are  we  presented  "before  the  presence  of  His  glory 
without  blemish  in  exceeding  joy."  "We  are  not  under 
law,  but  under  grace.  What  then  ?  Shall  we  sin,  because 
we  are  not  under  law,  but  under  grace?  God  forbid’’ 
(Rom. 6:  14, 15).  The  divine  injunction  is:  "Even  so 
reckon  ye  also  yourselves  to  be  dead  unto  sin,  but  alive 
unto  God  in  Christ  Jesus.  Let  not  sin  therefore  reign 
in  your  mortal  body,  that  ye  should  obey  it  in  the  lusts 
thereof :  neither  present  your  members  unto  sin  as  in¬ 
struments  of  unrighteousness ;  but  present  yourselves 
unto  God,  as  alive  from  the  dead,  and  your  members 
as  instruments  of  righteousness  unto  God.  For  sin 


78  HIS  RE  LA  TION  TO  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 


shall  not  have  dominion  over  you”  (Rom.  6:  11-14). 
Now  then  “in  sanctification  of  the  Spirit  and  belief  of 
the  truth”  believers  are  delivered  from  the  domination 
of  sin  and  enabled  to  “adorn  the  doctrine  of  God  our 
Saviour  in  all  things;”  to  live  “holily  and  righteously 
and  unblamably”  toward  them  that  believe.  God's 
“grace  is  sufficient.”  He  requires  nothing  of  us  that  is 
unreasonable  and  impossible.  Therefore  all  He  would 
have  us  be  we  may  be,  and  are  under  solemn  obliga¬ 
tions  to  be.  Let  us  then  abandon  ourselves  utterly  to 
Him,  and  irreversibly.  If  we  do,  and  stand  by  it,  even 
though  we  are  imperfect  and  come  short  of  all  He 
requires  of  us,  and  are  “unprofitable  servants,”  yet  is 
our  judicial  standing  before  Him  absolutely  perfect; 
and  we  can  trust  and  rejoice  “what  time  we  are 
afraid.” 

But  some  one  asks,  “But  if  we  sin,  then  what?” 
“If  any  man  sin,  we  have  an  Advocate  with  the  Father, 
Jesus  Christ  the  righteous :  and  he  is  the  propitiation 
for  our  sins”  (1  John  2:  12)  ;  and,  “If  we  confess  our 
sins, he  is  faithful  and  righteous  to  forgive  us  our  sins, 
and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness”  (1  John 
1:9);  and,  “He  that  covereth  his  sins  shall  not  pros¬ 
per;  but  whoso  confesseth  and  forsaketh  them  shall 
have  mercy”  (Prov.  28:  13).  But  it  is  again  asked, 
“But  suppose  the  believer  will  not  uncover,  confess, 
and  forsake  his  sins,  then  what?”  I  make  reply,  Fie 
will  do  so  as  surely  as  he  is  really  and  truly  a  child  of 
God ;  or,  if  this  be  not  so,  he  will  lose  communion  and 
fellowship  with  his  Heavenly  Father;  and,  if  he  per¬ 
sists  in  his  sins,  he  will  be  cast  away  and  perish.  (See 


AS  SANCTIFIER. 


79 


Ezek.  18:24;  John  15:2;  Rom.  11:21,  22;  Col.  1: 
21-23;  Heb.  6:4-6;  and  10:26-30.) 

If  a  believer  commits  sin,  as  soon  as  he  is  conscious 
of  it  sorrow  will  fill  his  heart;  and  that  sorrow  will 
lead  to  repentance,  confession,  belief,  and  forgiveness. 
If  he  has  no  sorrow  for  his  sin  it  is  conclusive  proof 
that  he  is  not  a  child  of  God  at  all. 

And  so  it  is  that  to  the  believer  there  is  imputed  “a 
righteousness’ 1  not  his  own,  on  the  sole  ground  of 
which  he  becomes  righteous  and  is  justified  before 
God.*  When  he  is  sanctified  grace  is  imparted  for 
right  living  and  service,  and  he  glorifies  God  in  his 
body,  which  grace  comes  in  answer  to  the  prayer  of 
faith. 

The  Manner  of  Sanctification. 

First.  It  is  God  who  sanctifies:  “And  the  God  of 
peace  himself  sanctify  you  wholly ;  and  may  your 
spirit  and  soul  and  body  be  preserved  active,  without 
blame  at  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ” 
(1  Thess.  5  :  23). 

Second.  It  is  in  Christ :  “But  of  him  are  ve  in 

* 

Christ  Jesus,  who  was  made  unto  us  wisdom  from 
God,  and  righteousness  and  sanctification,”  etc. 


*  I  have  heard  some  advocates  of  sanctification  ridicule  the  doctrine  of  imputed 
righteousness  until  the  cold  chills  ran  over  me  and  I  was  led  to  think  they ”  counted 
the  blood  of  the  covenant  wherewith  he  was  sanctified  (?)  an  unholy  thing.”  The 
doctrines  of  grace  are  all  systematically  presented  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans, 
The  key  word  to  the  epistle  is  “  righteousness.”  The  epistle  forms  an  archway 
across  the  chasm  that  separates  the  sinner  from  God,  across  which  both  Jew  and 
Gentile  may  safely  pass.  The  keystone  to  the  arch  is  the  fourth  chapter.  In 
this  chapter  the  word  logizomai  occurs  thirteen  times.  Thrice  it  is  rendered 
“  counted,”  five  times  “  reckoned,”  and  six  times  “  imputed.”  Remove  that  word 
from  the  chapter  and  the  keystone  drops  from  the  arch  and  the  archway  collapses  ; 
for  if  there  is  not  imputed  to  the  sinner  “  a  righteousness”  wholly  apart  from  his 
own,  he  can  never  cross  the  chasm — he  must  perish. 


So  HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 


(i  Cor.  i  :  30).  The  grace  of  God  in  sanctification  is 
a  blessing  in  the  heart  and  life.  To  call  it  a  ‘‘second 
blessing/'  however,  is  misleading,  or  apt  to  be  so.  We 
are  never  taught  in  the  Bible  to  seek  after  a  second 
blessing;  indeed,  we  are  even  never  taught  to  seek 
after  sanctification.  We  are,  however,  taught  to  seek 
after  the  Blesser,  the  Sanctifier,  and  the  Father  will 
“with  him  freely  give  us  all  things.” 

Whenever  I  was  absent  from  home  for  any  consid¬ 
erable  time,  as  in  my  work  I  often  am,  and  was  about 
to  return,  I  would  cast  about  to  see  what  I  could  take 
to  my  children  that  would  please  them.  When  one  of 
them  was  four  or  five  years  old,  she  would  watch  for 
me,  knowing  the  time  I  was  expected  to  arrive.  See¬ 
ing  me  coming,  she  would  run  to  meet  me,  and  jump¬ 
ing  into  my  arms  would  give  me  a  hug  and  kiss  and 
then  right  away  ask,  “What  did  you  bring  me?”  this 
troubled  me  a  little,  for  it  seemed  as  though  she 
thought  more  of  what  I  brought  her  than  of  me.  So 
one  day  when  she  thus  met  me  and  asked,  “What  did 
you  bring  me?”  I  replied,  “Only  myself  this  time.” 
Her  countenance  fell ;  but,  after  looking  into  my  eyes 
a  few  moments,  she  understood  it  all,  and  giving  me 
an  extra  hug  and  kiss  said,  “Well,  anyhow,  Father 
Munhall,  I  think  a  heap  more  of  you  than  anything 
you  ever  brought  me.”  Never  mind  about  the  bless¬ 
ing  and  joy  of  His  gifts.  He  is  far  “fairer  than  the 
children  of  men,”  and  will  be  “all  and  in  all”  to  us  if 
we  abandon  ourselves  utterly  to  Him. 

Third.  It  is  of  the  Spirit.  “God  chose  you  from 
the  beginning  unto  salvation  in  sanctification  of  the 


AS  SANCTIFIER. 


Si 


Spirit  and  belief  of  the  truth”  (2  Thess.  2:  13).  “Be¬ 
ing  sanctified  by  the  Holy  Ghost”  (Rom.  15:16). 
The  temple  of  Solomon  was  not  sanctified  until  the 
“cloud  of  glory  filled  it.”  Even  so  when  the  believer 
is  “filled  with  the  Spirit”  is  he  also  sanctified,  “For 
we  are  a  temple  of  the  living  God ;  even  as  God  said, 
I  will  dwell  in  them”  (2  Cor.  6:  16).  “Know  ye  not 
that  ye  are  the  temple  of  God,  and  that  the  Spirit  of 
God  dwelleth  in  you?”(i  Cor.  3:  16).  “What!  Know 
ye  not  that  your  body  is  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
which  is  in  you,  which  ye  have  from  God?”  (1  Cor. 
6:  19.) 

Fourth.  It  is  in  and  through  the  truth:  “Sanctify 
them  in  the  truth:  thy  word  is  truth”  (John  17:  17). 
“Sanctification  of  the  Spirit  and  belief  of  the  truth.” 
Believers  are  commanded  to  “Believe  not  every  spirit, 
but  prove  the  spirits.”  Like  the  Bereans,  “Examining 
the  Scriptures  daily,  whether  these  things  are  so;” 
proving  “all  things ;  hold  fast  that  which  is  good.” 
“For  we  can  do  nothing  against  the  truth,  but  for  the 
truth”  (2  Cor.  13:8).  “To  the  law  and  to  the  testi¬ 
mony:  if  they  speak  not  according  to  this  word,  it 
is  because  there  is  no  light  in  them”  (Isa.  8:20).  If 
one  thinks  he  has  the  experience  or  blessing  of  sanc¬ 
tification  let  him  never  trust  it,  but  bring  it  to  the  test 
of  the  Scriptures ;  and,  if  it  is  in  agreement  with  their 
plain  statements,  rejoice  and  give  God  the  glory.  If 
there  is  not  correspondence  abandon  the  experience  or 
theory  of  it ;  for  in  such  a  case  it  is  of  Satan.  “For 
there  shall  arise  false  Christs,  and  false  prophets,  and 

shall  show  great  signs  and  wonders ;  so  as  to  lead 
6 


82  HIS  DELATION  TO  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 


astray,  if  possible,  even  the  elect’'  (Matt.  24:  24).  Do 
this,  “And  ye  shall  know  the  truth,  and  the  truth  shall 
make  you  free”  (John  8:32). 

Fifth.  It  is  by  faith:  “This  only  would  I  learn 
from  you,  Received  ye  the  Spirit  by  the  works  of  the 
law,  or  by  the  hearing  of  faith  ?  Are  ye  so  foolish  ? 
having  begun  in  the  Spirit,  are  ye  now  perfected  in  the 
flesh?  Did  ye  suffer  so  many  things  in  vain?  if  it  be 
in  vain.  He  therefore  that  supplieth  to  you  the  Spirit, 
and  worketh  miracles  among  you,  doeth  he  it  by  the 
works  of  the  law,  or  by  the  hearing  of  faith?’’  (Gal.  3 : 
3-5.)  Like  everything  that  is  of  grace,  it  is  by  faith. 
Now  then,  what  is  required  of  the  believer?  and  how 
shall  he  go  about  it  ? 

In  2  Sam.  8:11  it  is  said:  “Which  also  King  David 
did  dedicate  unto  the  Lord.”  The  word  here  rendered 
“dedicate,”  is  Quadesh — “sanctify.”  Reference  is 
here  made  to  the  fact  that  King  David  gave  the  “ves¬ 
sels  of  silver,  and  vessels  of  gold,  and  vessels  of  brass” 
that  Joram  brought  him  a  gift  from  Toi,  his  father,  to¬ 
gether  “with  the  silver  and  gold  that  he  had  dedicated 
of  all  nations  which  he  subdued,”  unto  the  Lord,  to 
be  used  in  ornamenting  and  beautifying  the  temple 
that  his  son  Solomon  was  to  build. 

In  Lev.  27 :  28  we  are  told,  “Notwithstanding,  no 
devoted  thing,  that  a  man  shall  devote  unto  the  Lord 
of  all  that  he  hath,  both  of  man  and  beast,  and  of  the 
field  of  his  possession,  shall  be  sold  or  redeemed : 
every  devoted  thing  is  most  holy  unto  the  Lord.” 

In  Gal.  2:20  we  read,  “I  have  been  crucified  with 
Christ.”  In  2  Cor.  5:14  it  is  said,  “That  one  died 


AS  SANCTIFIER. 


83 


for  all,  therefore  all  died.1’  Rom.  6:6  reads  as  fol¬ 
lows:  “Knowing  this,  that  our  old  man  was  crucified 
with  him.”  That  is  to  say,  the  sinner  was  put  to  death 
in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  “by  the  grace  of 
God”  tasted  “death  for  every  man”  (Heb.  2:9). 

Now  then,  the  believer  who  responds  to  the  exhorta¬ 
tion  of  Rom.  12:  I,  “I  beseech  you  therefore,  brethren, 
by  the  mercies  of  God,  to  present  your  bodies  a  living 
sacrifice,  holy,  acceptable  to  God ;  which  is  your  rea¬ 
sonable  service,”  “dedicating”  himself  unto  God,  that 
he  may  be  “devoted”  to  such  uses  and  services  as  the 
Master  may  appoint  him  to,  and  looking  unto  the 
uplifted  Christ,  by  faith,  reckons  himself  “to  be 
dead  indeed  unto  sin,  but  alive  unto  God  through 
Christ  Jesus  our  Lord”  (Rom.  6:11);  that  is,  aban¬ 
doning  himself  utterly  to  God,  accepts  with  unques¬ 
tioning  faith  as  true  the  statements  of  the  sacred 
scriptures  that  he  was  put  to  death  judicially  in  the 
person  of  the  one  who  was  “offered  for  our  offenses” 
— that  believer  is  sanctified ;  and  so  long  as  he  abides 
trustfully  and  unwaveringly  in  that  attitude  and  faith 
will  remain  sanctified.* 

Results  of  Sanctification. 

First.  Separation.  “Wherefore  come  out  from 
among  them,  and  be  ye  separate,  saith  the  Lord” 

*  Read  the  seventh  and  eighth  chapters  of  Romans.  While  reading  remember 
that  the  first  thirteen  verses  of  the  seventh  chapter  are  descriptive  of  an  unre¬ 
newed  man,  and  the  rest  of  the  chapter  describes  a  Christian  trying  to  live  under 
the  law.  Get  away  from  both  of  these  experiences — condemnation  and  legalism. 
Get  into  the  eighth  chapter;  but  even  then  do  not  forget  that  the  law  of  God  is 
opposed  to  the  law  of  sin  and  death  ;  opposed  to  the  “law  in  my  members,”  and 
“  the  law  of  my  mind  ; ”  and  all  opposed  to  “  the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ 
Jesus”  (verses  6-8);  and  rejoice  evermore  in  the  Spirit,  glorying  “  in  Christ  Jesus, 
and  have  no  confidence  in  the  flesh.” — Phil.  2  •  3. 


84  HIS  DELATION  TO  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 


(2  Cor.  6:  17).  The  sanctified  man  will  disassociate 
himself  from  the  world’s  companionships,  and  disen¬ 
tangle  himself  from  the  affairs  of  the  enemies  of  his 
Lord  and  Master,  following  the  example  of  his  Mas¬ 
ter,  who  was  “holy,  guileless,  undefiled,  separate  from 
sinners"  (Heb.  7:26). 

Second.  Love  of  the  world  gone.  '‘Love  not  the 
world,  neither  the  things  that  are  in  the  world.  If 
any  man  love  the  world,  the  love  of  the  Father  is  not 
in  him”  (1  John  2:  15).  Being  sanctified,  "the  love 
of  God  hath  been  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  through 
the  Holy  Ghost  which  was  given  unto  us”  (Rom.  5:5); 
and  having  "set  your  mind  on  the  things  that  are 
above,  and  not  on  the  things  that  are  upon  the  earth” 
(Col.  3:2),  "the  lust  of  the  flesh,  and  the  lust  of  the 
eyes,  and  the  vainglory  of  life”  no  longer  dominate  us. 

Third.  A  forgiving  spirit.  "Tender-hearted, 
forgiving  each  other,  even  as  God  also  in  Christ  for¬ 
gave  you”  (Eph.  4:32).  It  is  not  thinkable  that  a 
sanctified  person  can  cherish  a  bitter,  resentful,  and  un¬ 
forgiving  spirit.  When  sanctified  souls  think  seri¬ 
ously  and  honestly,  if  but  for  a  moment,  upon  what 
God  has  forgiven  them,  it  becomes  impossible  for 
them  to  entertain  an  unforgiving  spirit  toward  those 
who  may  have  wronged  them. 

Fourth.  Pureness  of  speech.  "Not  filthiness, 
nor  foolish  talking,  or  jesting,  which  are  not  befitting” 
(Eph.  5:4).  It  is  not  thinkable  that  a  sanctified  man 
can  have  a  filthy  tongue — an  unclean  speech.  His 
words  will  be  chaste,  as  becometh  an  imitator  of 
Christ. 


AS  SANCTIFIER. 


85 


Fifth.  Cleanliness  of  body.  “Beloved,  let  us 
cleanse  ourselves  from  all  defilement  of  flesh”  (2  Cor. 
7:1).  Doubtless  the  body  is  included  in  the  Sarx. 
Our  bodies  are  temples  for  the  Holy  Ghost.  We  are 
commanded  to  present  them  a  living  sacrifice  unto 
God;  and  to  glorify  God  in  our  bodies  (1  Cor.  6:  20)  ; 
and  our  bodies  are  to  be  redeemed  from  the  grave  and 
corruption  (Rom.  8:23  and  1  Cor.  15:54).  In  view 
of  these  sublime  truths  we  are  under  solemn  obliga¬ 
tions  to  in  every  way  possible  take  the  very  best  care 
of  them. 

Sixth.  Weights  laid  aside.  “Let  us  lay  aside 
every  weight,  and  the  sin  which  doth  so  easily  beset 
us”  (Heb.  12:1).  What  is  here  called  weight  is 
differentiated  from  sin.  It  hinders  us  from  running 
“with  patience  the  race  that  is  set  before  us.”  I  believe 
an  intolerant,  censorious  hedgehoggish  spirit  is  a 
weight  if  not  a  sin.  I  think  I  have  met  some  persons 
who  were  earnest  advocates  of  holiness  who,  unless 
you  saw  everything  just  as  they  saw  it,  would  con¬ 
demn  and  misrepresent  you  as  though  you  were  an  en¬ 
emy  of  righteousness.  Such  spirit  will  hinder  anyone's 
progress  in  the  right  direction,  and  is  the  cause  of 
much  of  the  opposition  to  sanctification  to  be  found 
in  the  Churches  to-day.  A  sanctified  man  is  certainly 
and  necessarily  a  gentleman  in  the  truest  and  highest 
sense,  and  will  be  kindly  and  charitably  disposed 
toward  all  men. 

Seventh.  Zeal  for  souls.  “Make  you  perfect 
in  every  good  thing  to  do  his  will”  (Heb.  13:21). 
“The  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but 


86  HIS  ABLATION  TO  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 


to  minister,  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many” 
(Matt.  20:28).  A  sanctified  person  has  the  mind 
“which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus;”  and  therefore  more 
than  all  personal,  selfish  desires  and  interests  will  they 
be  zealously  affected  for  the  good  of  others.  They 
will  find  their  greatest  joy  as  “workers  together  with 
him.” 

A  word  of  caution  and  counsel.  Some  have  thought 
that  when  they  come  into  this  experience  there  will 
be  an  end  of  all  trouble  and  conflict.  They  have  heard 
so  many  remarkable  testimonies  as  to  the  unruffled 
calm  of  the  sanctified  soul,  and  its  thrilling  joy  and 
abiding  peace,  and  been  deceived  thereby,  or  misled. 
Of  course,  the  one  wholly  given  up  to  God  can,  no 
matter  what  his  trials,  conflicts,  and  sufferings,  say 
with  Paul,  “I  have  learned  in  whatsoever  state  I  am, 
therein  to  be  content"  (Phil.  4:11);  can  rise  serenely 
and  securely  above  them  all,  rejoicing  always.  But  it 
is  still  true  that  “All  that  would  live  godly  in  Christ 
Jesus  shall  suffer  persecution”  (2  Tim.  3:  12).  They 
will  be  misunderstood  and  misjudged;  and  this  is 
never  pleasant.  Their  loyalty  to  Jesus  will  be  a  con¬ 
demnation  far  stronger  than  words,  of  the  disloyalty 
of  those  in  the  Church  who  “have  a  name  to  live  and 
are  dead ;”  and  to  quiet  the  voice  of  their  own  trou¬ 
bled  conscience  they  will  question  the  motives  and  con¬ 
demn  the  zeal  of  those  who  are  really  sanctified  to  the 
Master.  But  the  Master  was  subjected  to  far  worse 
mistreatment,  immeasurably,  than  any  of  us  will  ever 
be  called  upon  to  suffer  for  Him.  He  said,  “The  serv¬ 
ant  is  not  above  his  Lord”  and,  “Blessed  are  ye  when 


AS  SANCTIFIER . 


87 


men  shall  reproach  you,  and  persecute  you,  and  shall 
say  all  manner  of  evil  against  you  falsely,  for  my 
sake.”  And  we  have  the  assurance  of  God’s  Word 
that  “If  we  suffer,  we  shall  also  reign  with  him” 
(2  Tim.  2 :  12)  ;  and,  “If  so  be  that  we  suffer  with  him, 
that  we  may  be  also  glorified  together”  (Rom.  8:  17). 
So  then,  here  and  hereafter,  we  shall  have  inestimable 
compensation  for  fidelity  to  our  Lord  and  Master. 

When  the  children  of  Israel  were  at  Kadesh-barnea, 
on  the  borders  of  the  land  of  promise,  they  heard  that 
there  were  giants  in  the  land.  They  took  counsel  of 
their  fears,  and  sent  out  spies  to  see  if  it  was  so.  Faith 
does  neither.  When  the  spies  returned  they  brought 
back  some  of  the  big  grapes  and  said :  “We  came  unto 
the  land  whither  thou  sentest  us,  and  surely  it  flow- 
eth  with  milk  and  honey;  and  this  is  the  fruit  of  it. 
Nevertheless  the  people  be  strong  that  dwell  in  the 
land,  and  the  cities  are  walled,  and  very  great:  and 
moreover  we  saw  the  children  of  Anak  there.  .  .  . 
And  we  were  in  our  own  sight  as  grasshoppers,  and 
so  we  were  in  their  sight”  (Num.  13:27-33).  “And 
Caleb  .  .  .  said,  Let  us  go  up  at  once,  and  possess  it; 
for  we  are  well  able  to  overcome  it.”  But  the  majority 
vote — ten  to  two — prevailed  ;  and  poor,  unbelieving 
Israel  turned  away  from  their  promised  inheritance, 
and  for  thirty  and  eight  years  they  wandered,  and  the 
last  man  of  them  that  came  out  of  Egypt  of  age,  save 
three — Moses,  Joshua,  and  Caleb — left  his  bones  to 
bleach  in  the  shifting  sands  of  the  desert.  Poor,  blind, 
unbelieving  Israel !  To-day,  in  the  Church,  many  are 
unbelieving  and  of  a  fearful  mind,  and  linger  on  the 


88  HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 


borderland  or  wander  in  the  desert,  when  the  land 
flowing  with  milk  and  honey  is  near  at  hand  and  they 
are  abundantly  able  to  possess  it. 

Moses  was  succeeded  as  leader  of  the  Lord's  people 
by  Joshua,  who  led  them  through  the  Jordan  into  the 
land  of  promise.  They  had  scarce  entered  the  land 
when  they  were  confronted  by  enemies  strongly  in¬ 
trenched  at  Jericho,  but  God  gave  the  city  into  their 
hands.  They  met  with  discomfiture  at  Ai,  because  of 
Achan’s  sin.  It  was  put  away,  and  none  of  their  en¬ 
emies  could  withstand  them.  But  it  was  a  long  suc¬ 
cession  of  battles,  until  their  enemies  were  well-nigh 
all  driven  out  of  the  land.  The  children  of  Judah 
gathered  at  Gilgal  unto  Joshua.  Caleb  was  with  them. 
Though  eighty-five  years  old,  yet  was  he  “as  strong” 
as  the  day  Moses  sent  him  with  the  other  spies  through 
the  land,  forty-five  years  before.  His  faith  and  courage 
were  as  great  as  when  he  had  said,  “Let  us  go  up  at 
once  and  possess  it ;  for  we  are  well  able  to  overcome 
it.”  Faith  is  always  ready  and  glad  to  be  tested. 
Therefore  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  old  hero 
said,  “Now  therefore  give  me  this  mountain,  whereof 
the  Lord  spake  in  that  day ;  for  thou  heardest  in  that 
day  how  the  Anakims  were  there,  and  that  the  cities 
were  great  and  fenced:  if  so  be  the  Lord  will  be  with 
me,  then  I  shall  be  able  to  drive  them  out,  as  the  Lord 
said”  (Josh.  14:  12).  Joshua  gave  his  partner  a  bless¬ 
ing,  and  Caleb  moved  away  southward.  The  giants 
heard  of  his  coming  and  precipitately  fled,  and  Caleb 
had  cities  he  did  not  have  to  build ;  and  he  moved  right 
in  and  went  to  housekeeping,  and  had  vineyards  that 


AS  SANCTIFIES?. 


89 


he  did  not  plant,  and  all  the  big  grapes  he  could  eat 
right  to  hand.  And  so  the  giants  and  big  grapes  are 
always  found  together  in  our  experiences.  If  there 
are  no  conflicts,  there  are  no  victories.  Where  God 
would  have  us  go,  we  can  go :  what  He  would  have 
us  do,  we  may,  in  His  name  and  strength,  do. 

The  sanctified  life  is  not  a  life  of  ease  and  self- 
gratulation.  Sacrifice,  service,  and  conflict  are  preem¬ 
inently  characteristic  of  it.  But  this  is  evermore 
conspicuously  true  of  such  a  life,  that  God’s  grace  is 
sufficient  for  every  demand  upon  it;  and  in  unques¬ 
tioning  obedience  faith  finds  its  grandest  victories  and 
the  heart  experiences  its  intensest  joys. 

It  is  the  convert’s  privilege  and  business  to  abandon 
himself  utterly  to  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  he  may  have 
all  His  help  as  Witnesser,  Sealer,  Earnest,  Teacher, 
and  Sanctifier,  that  thus  God  may  accomplish  all  His 
purposes  in  grace  in  him,  for  him,  and  by  him. 

Note. — There  is  a  sense  in  which  all  believers  are  sanctified.  In  Heb.  12  :  14 
we  are  told,  “  Follow  after  peace  with  all  men,  and  the  sanctification  without 
which  no  man  can  see  the  Lord.*’  If  a  man  were  to  die  immediately  he  has  been 
regenerated  and  justified,  he  would  doubtless  11  depart  and  be  with  Christ  ” — would 
“  see  the  Lord.’*  It  is  not  thinkable  that  it  would  be  otherwise.  The  basis  of 
sanctification  is  laid  in  regeneration,  and  therefore  in  a  sense  all  who  are*'  born 
of  God  ”  are  sanctified.  Therefore  the  work  of  the  Spirit  in  the  new  birth  should 
never  be  lost  sight  of  or  minimized  ;  nor  should  we  hesitate  to  “  press  on  unto 
perfection.  ’* 


90 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  CHURCH . 


CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Convert's  Relation  to  the  Church* 

Wiiat  is  the  Church? 

“Upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church  ;  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall 
not  prevail  against  it.” — Matt.  16  :  18. 

It  is  the  body  of  Christ.  “And  gave  him  to  be  head 
over  all  things  to  the  church,  which  is  his  body”  (Eph. 
1:22,  23).  “And  he  is  the  head  of  the  body,  the 
church, ...  for  his  body's  sake,  which  is  the  church” 
(Col.  1:18,  24).  All  believers  are  members  of  that 
body.  “Know  ye  not  that  your  bodies  are  members  of 
Christ?”  (1  Cor.  6:15.)  “For  as  the  body  is  one, 
and  hath  many  members,  and  all  the  members  of 
the  body,  being  many,  are  one  body ;  so  also  is 
Christ.  For  in  one  spirit  were  we  all  baptized  into 
one  body.  .  .  .  Now  ye  are  the  body  of  Christ,  and 
severally  members  thereof"  (1  Cor.  12:12,  13,  27). 
“Because  we  are  members  of  his  body  .  .  .  This  mys¬ 
tery  is  great :  but  I  speak  in  regard  of  Christ  and  of 
the  church”  (Eph.  5:30,  32).  Therefore  believers 
are  of  the  Church,  being  one  in  and  with  Christ,  even 
as  a  man  and  his  wife  are  one.  Such  is  the  teaching 
of  the  Scriptures. 

We  are  told  in  Acts  7:  38,  “This  is  he  that  was  in 
the  church  (congregation)  in  the  wilderness.”  The 
word  here  rendered  “church”  is  ekklesia ,  and  means, 
That  which  is  called  out.  In  Exod.  33:  16  it  is  said, 
“For  wherein  shall  it  be  known  here  that  I  and  thy 
people  have  found  grace  in  thy  sight?  is  it  not  in  that 


WHAT  IS  THE  CHURCH f 


9i 


thou  goest  with  us?  so  shall  we  be  separated,  I  and 
thy  people,  from  all  the  people  that  are  upon  the  face 
of  the  earth.'’  That  is,  the  Hebrew  people  were  cho¬ 
sen  of  God  to  be  His  own  peculiar  treasure — His  bride 
(see  Isa.  54:5;  Jer.  3:14,  20),  called  out  and  sep¬ 
arated  from  the  nations,  and  distinguished  from  them 
by  His  manifested  presence  among  them.  All  of  this 
— and  more — was  based  upon  the  Abrahamic  covenant, 
which  is  a  covenant  of  grace  as  well  as  a  covenant  of 
glory.  When  Jesus  ^came  unto  his  own  (the  Hebrew 
people),  and  they  that  were  his  own  received  him  not. 
But  as  many  as  received  him,  to  them  gave  he  the  right 
to  become  children  of  God,  even  to  them  that  believed 
on  his  name :  which  were  born,  not  of  blood,  nor  of 
the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God” 
(John  1 :  11-13).  And  thus  the  rejection  of  Jesus  as 
Messiah  by  the  Hebrews  has  turned  to  our  account 
who  are  Gentiles”  for  “by  their  fall  (trespass)  salva¬ 
tion  is  come  unto  the  Gentiles”  (Rom.  11 :  11)  ;  “As  he 
saith  also  in  Hosea,  I  will  call  that  my  people,  which 
was  not  my  people ;  and  her  beloved,  which  was  not  be¬ 
loved.  And  it  shall  be,  that  in  the  place  where  it  was 
said  unto  them,  Ye  are  not  my  people,  there  shall  they 
be  called  sons  of  the  living  God”  (Rom.  9:25,  26). 
Therefore  we  see  that  at  this  time,  this  dispensation  of 
the  Spirit,  God  is  calling  a  people  that  were  no  people, 
“the  poor  and  maimed  and  halt  and  lame,”  from  “the 
streets  and  lanes  of  the  city,  .  .  .  the  highways  and 
hedges”  (Luke  14:21-23),  from  among  the  nations — 
the  Gentiles — that  His  purposes  in  grace  maybeaceom- 
plished.  Concerning  those  who  respond  to  the  king’s 


92 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  CHURCH. 


invitation,  Paul  said,  “I  espoused  you  to  one  husband, 
that  I  might  present  you  as  a  pure  virgin  to  Christ” 
(2  Cor.  11:2).  When  Jesus — the  Bridegroom — re¬ 
turns  it  will  be  to  receive  this  company  as  His  bride, 
that  the  espousals  may  be  confirmed  and  the  marriage 
celebrated  (see  Matt.  25:1-12),  for  this  company  is 
called  “the  bride,  the  Lamb’s  wife.”  Then  the  Church 
will  be  “looking  forth  as  the  morning,  fair  as  the  moon, 
clear  as  the  sun,  and  terrible  as  an  army  with  banners" 
(Sol.  Song  6:  10). 

This  caused  no  little  trouble  in  the  early  Church,  as 
we  learn  from  Acts,  the  fifteenth  chapter.  But  James 
stated  the  case  correctly  when  he  said,  “God  did  visit 
the  Gentiles,  to  take  out  of  them  a  people  for  his 
name.”  This  is  the  Church — ckklesia — that  which  is 
called  out;  and  this  company  is  separated  from  the 
“world  that  lieth  in  the  evil  one,”  unto  Him  who  is 
“holy,  guileless,  undefiled,  separate  from  sinners.”  In 
2  Cor.  6:  14-18  it  is  thus  stated:  “Be  not  unequally 
yoked  with  unbelievers :  for  what  fellowship  have 
righteousness  and  iniquity?  or  what  communion  hath 
light  with  darkness?  And  what  concord  hath  Christ 
with  Belial?  or  what  portion  hath  a  believer  with  an 
unbeliever?  And  what  agreement  hath  a  temple  of 
God  with  idols?  for  we  are  a  temple  of  the  living  God ; 
even  as  God  said,  I  will  dwell  in  them,  and  walk  in 
them;  and  I  will  be  their  God,  and  they  shall  be  my 
people.  Wherefore,  come  ye  out  from  among  them, 
and  be  ye  separate,  saith  the  Lord,  and  touch  no  un¬ 
clean  thing ;  and  I  will  receive  you,  and  will  be  to 
you  a  Father,  and  ye  shall  be  my  sons  and  daughters, 


WHAT  IS  THE  CHURCH f 


93 


saith  the  Lord  Almighty.”  The  mystery  is  thus  joined. 
The  Church  is,  therefore,  not  merely  a  human  organ¬ 
ization.  Jesus  Christ  is  the  body,  and  believers  are  the 
members.  He  is  “head  over  all  things  to  the  church, 
which  is  his  body”  (Eph.  1:22),  and  they  “are  com¬ 
plete  in  him.” 

But  the  Church  is  also  an  organization,  humanly 
speaking,  for  in  the  Bible  we  find  an  organization  with 
officers,  ordinances,  assemblies,  and  ceremonies ;  and 
it  is  the  exact  counterpart  of  the  “church  in  the  wilder¬ 
ness;”  which  had  compact  organization,  priests  and 
rulers,  and  “ordinances  of  divine  service,  and  its  sanc¬ 
tuary,”  etc.,  etc.  The  “middle  wall  of  partition” — 
that  divided  between  Jew  and  Gentile — being  abol¬ 
ished,  “ye  are  no  more  strangers  and  sojourners,  but 
ve  are  fellow-citizens  with  the  saints,  and  of  the  house- 
hold  of  God,  being  built  upon  the  foundation  of  the 
apostles  and  prophets,  Christ  Jesus  himself  being  the 
chief  corner  stone”  (Eph.  2:19,  20).  The  Great 
Head  of  the  Church  “called  his  disciples :  and  he  chose 
from  them  twelve,  whom  he  named  apostles”  (Luke 
6:  13).  We  see  this  company  of  apostles  and  disciples 
gathered  into  one  place,  as  Jesus  had  directed  (Luke 
24:  49).  And  when  the  day  of  Pentecost  was  now 
come,  they  were  all  together  in  one  place.  And  sud¬ 
denly  there  came  from  heaven  a  sound  as  of  a  rushing 
of  a  mighty  wind,  and  it  filled  all  the  house  where  they 
were  sitting.  And  there  appeared  unto  them  tongues 
parting  asunder,  like  as  of  fire ;  and  it  sat  upon  each 
of  them.  And  they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  began  to  speak  with  other  tongues,  as  the  Spirit 


94 


HIS  DELATION  TO  THE  CHURCH . 


gave  them  utterance”  (Acts  2:  1-4).  And  God  mar¬ 
velously  wrought  by  them!  ‘‘They  then  that  received 
nis  (Peter's)  word  were  baptized:  and  there  were 
added  unto  them  in  that  day  about  three  thousand 
souls.  And  they  continued  steadfastly  in  the  apostles’ 
teaching  and  fellowship,  in  the  breaking  of  bread  and 
the  prayers.  And  fear  came  upon  every  soul :  and 
many  wonders  and  signs  were  done  by  the  apostles. 
And  all  that  believed  were  together,  and  had  all  things 
common ;  and  they  sold  their  possessions  and  goods, 
and  parted  them  to  all,  according  as  any  man  had 
need.  And  day  by  day,  continuing  steadfastly  with 
one  accord  in  the  temple,  and  breaking  bread  at  home, 
they  did  take  their  food  with  gladness  and  singleness 
of  heart,  praising  God,  and  having  favor  with  all  the 
people.  And  the  Lord  added  to  them  day  by  day 
those  that  were  being  saved'’  (Acts  2  :  41-47). 

Churches  were  organized  wherever  the  Word  was 
preached  and  converts  made,  bishops (episkopos,  over¬ 
seers,  superintendents),  elders  ( presbuteros ,  aged 
persons)  and  deacons  ( diakonos ,  ministrants)  were 
everywhere  appointed  to  rule,  direct,  and  minister  in 
things  temporal  and  spiritual.  Also,  while  Jesus  “gave 
some  to  be  apostles,"  He  likewise  gave  some  to  be 
“prophets  (New  Testament  prophets)  ;  and  some, 
evangelists ;  and  some,  pastors  and  teachers,  for  the 
perfecting  of  the  saints,  unto  the  work  of  ministering, 
unto  the  building  up  of  the  body  of  Christ” — the 
Church  (Eph.  4:  II,  12). 

Thus  we  see  that  the  Church  is  “the  body  of  Christ 
that  believers  are  members  of  “the  body  of  Christ 


WHAT  IS  THE  CHURCH? 


95 


and  that  these  members  are  organized  into  societies 
with  divinely  appointed  rulers  and  ministrants,  which 
order  and  condition  shall  be  perpetuated  until  “the 
marriage  of  the  Lamb  is  come,  and  his  wife  hath 
made  herself  ready”  (Rev.  19:7). 

What  is  the  Church’s  mission? 

Jesus  commanded  the  eleven,  and  through  them  the 
Church  for  this  age,  to  “Go  ye  therefore,  and  make 
disciples  of  all  the  nations,  baptizing  them  into  the 
name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost :  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatso¬ 
ever  I  commanded  you :  and  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world”  (age)  (Matt.  28: 
19,  20).  We  understand  by  this  commission  that  the 
supreme  mission  of  the  Church  is  twofold,  i.  e.,  to 
first  make  disciples — converts — and  then  instruct  them 
to  observe  all  things  Jesus  commands.  Note  in  the 
second  chapter  of  Acts  how  literally  and  closely  this 
instruction  was  followed,  and  the  results.  As  a  result 
of  Peter’s  sermon  "they  were  pricked  in  their  heart, 
and  said  unto  Peter  and  the  rest  of  the  apostles,  Breth¬ 
ren,  what  shall  we  do?  And  Peter  said  unto  them, 
Repent  ye,  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ  unto  the  remission  of  your  sins; 
and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  .  .  . 
They  then  that  received  his  word  were  baptized :  and 
there  were  added  unto  them  in  that  dav  about  three 
thousand  souls.  And  they  continued  steadfastly  in  the 
apostles’  teaching  and  fellowship,  in  the  breaking  of 
bread  and  the  prayers”  (verses  37,  38,  41,  42).  This 
order  is  everywhere  seen  in  the  recorded  history  of  the 


96  HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  CHURCH . 


work  of  the  early  Church ;  and  whenever  and  wherever 
the  Church  has  adhered  to  this  divinely  indicated 
order,  she  has  made  conquests  and  been  prospered ;  as 
whenever  and  wherever  she  has  departed  from  this 
order  she  has  failed  to  make  conquests  and  languished. 

The  prophet  Ezekiel  saw  “waters  issue  out  from 
under  the  threshold  of  the  house”  (chap.  47:1-12), 
that  became  “a  river  that  could  not  be  passed  over/' 
sustaining  much  life  and  causing  the  contiguous  plain 
to  throb  with  life  and  laugh  under  the  abundance  of 
perpetual  fruitage.  Just  so  the  Church  is  the  channel 
through  which  the  “waters  of  life"  are  to  flow  forth 
to  make  “the  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  to  be 
glad  for  them ;  and  the  desert  .  .  .  rejoice,  and  blossom 
as  the  rose"  (Isa.  35 :  1).  All  its  officers,  orders,  mem¬ 
bers,  and  machinery  are  to  be  chiefly  employed  in  keep¬ 
ing  the  channel  open  and  directing  the  life-giving 
floods  to  the  desolate  and  waste  places  of  earth.  In 
a  word,  the  chief  business  of  the  Church  is  to  evan¬ 
gelize  the  world.  Her  mission  is  one  of  conquest. 
But  she  is  at  the  same  time  to  care  for  those  who 
bow  to  the  sway  of  her  imperial  standard,  that  they 
may  become  intelligent,  loyal,  and  well-disciplined 
subjects  of  the  King  Eternal — “To  walk  worthily  of 
the  Lord  unto  all  pleasing,  bearing  fruit  in  every  good 
work,  and  increasing  in  the  knowledge  of  God ; 
strengthened  with  all  power,  according  to  the  might 
of  his  glory,  unto  all  patience  and  long-suffering  with 
joy;  giving  thanks  unto  the  Father,  who  made  us 
meet  to  be  partakers  of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints 
in  light”  (Col.  1:  10-12). 


WHAT  IS  THE  CHURCH ? 


97 


What  are  the  Church’s  benefits? 

The  Church  of  God  has  an  open  door  for  all  who 
have  “repentance  toward  God,  and  faith  toward  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ;”  and  manifold  and  blessed  minis¬ 
tries  for  all  who  enter  her  communion.  Among  these 
ministries  are : 

First.  Nourishment.  The  Bible  teaches  us  that 
the  convert  is  a  “babe”  (i  Pet.  2:1,  2;  Heb.  5:  13), 
is  a  “lamb”  (John  21:  15),  spiritually;  and,  as  such, 
needs  nourishment.  Jesus  commanded  Peter  to  “feed 
my  lambs”  and  to  “Feed  my  sheep;”  and  to  the  elders 
of  the  Church  He  gave  command,  “Feed  the  flock  of 
God  which  is  among  you.”  This  shepherding  and  nur¬ 
turing  are  indispensable  to  the  convert’s  spiritual 
growth.  Paul,  writing  to  the  Corinthian  church,  said : 
“And  I,  brethren,  could  not  speak  unto  you  as  unto 
spiritual,  but  as  unto  carnal,  as  unto  babes  in  Christ. 
I  fed  you  with  milk,  not  with  meat,  for  ye  were  not 
able  to  bear  it”  (1  Cor.  3:  1,  2).  And  in  Heb.  5:  12- 
14,  he  says :  “For  when  by  reason  of  the  time  ye  ought 
to  be  teachers,  ye  have  need  again  that  some  one 
teach  you  the  rudiments  of  the  first  principles  of  the 
oracles  of  God ;  and  are  become  such  as  have  need  of 
milk,  and  not  of  solid  food.  For  every  one  that  par- 
taketh  of  milk  is  without  experience  of  the  word  of 
righteousness ;  for  he  is  a  babe.  But  solid  food  is  for 
full  grown  men,  even  those  who  by  reason  of  use  have 
their  senses  exercised  to  discern  good  and  evil.” 

Second.  Strengthening.  In  some  mysterious 
way  the  believer  receives  spiritual  strength  through  the 

Lord’s  Supper,  which  is  an  ordinance  of  the  Church. 

7 


98 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  CHURCH. 


Jesus  said,  “Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Except 
ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  man  and  drink  his 
blood,  ye  have  not  life  in  yourselves.  He  that  eat- 
eth  my  flesh  and  drinketh  my  blood  hath  eternal  life; 
and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day.  For  my  flesh 
is  meat  indeed,  and  my  blood  is  drink  indeed.  He 
that  eateth  my  flesh  and  drinketh  my  blood  abideth  in 
me,  and  I  in  him.  As  the  living  Father  sent  me,  and 
I  live  because  of  the  Father ;  so  he  that  eateth  me,  he 
also  shall  live  because  of  me"  (John  6:  53-57).  “And 
as  they  did  eat,  Jesus  took  bread,  and  blessed,  and 
brake  it,  and  gave  to  them,  and  said,  Take,  eat;  this 
is  my  body.  And  he  took  the  cup,  and  when  he  had 
given  thanks,  he  gave  it  to  them ;  and  they  all  drank 
of  it.  And  he  said  unto  them,  This  is  my  blood  of  the 
new  testament,  which  is  shed  for  many"  (Mark  14: 

22- 24).  Paul  in  his  first  letter  to  the  church  at  Cor¬ 
inth  said :  “For  I  received  of  the  Lord  that  which  also 
I  delivered  unto  you,  how  that  the  Lord  Jesus  in  the 
night  in  which  he  was  betrayed  took  bread ;  and  when 
he  had  given  thanks,  he  brake  it,  and  said,  This  is  my 
body  which  is  for  you :  this  do  in  remembrance  of  me. 
In  like  manner  also  the  cup,  after  supper,  saying,  This 
cup  is  the  new  testament  (covenant)  in  my  blood:  this 
do,  as  oft  as  ye  drink  it,  in  remembrance  of  me.  For 
as  often  as  ye  eat  this  bread,  and  drink  the  cup,  ye 
.proclaim  the  Lord’s  death  till  he  come’1  (1  Cor.  11: 

23- 26).  When  the  sinner  unsaved  believes  on  Jesus 
with  the  heart  he  receives  eternal  life;  for  Jesus  said, 
“He  that  believeth  hath  eternal  life"  (John  6:47). 
But  this  life  is  perpetuated  as  it  is  received — by  faith ; 


WHAT  IS  THE  CHURCH? 


99 


for  it  is  written,  “The  righteous  shall  live  by  faith” 
(Gal.  3:  11),  even  as  he  stands  and  walks  by  faith. 
(See  2  Cor.  1:22;  5:7.)  Indeed,  the  very  root  idea 
of  faith  is  faithfulness.  In  partaking  of  the  eucharist 
we  think  on  what  Jesus  did  for  us  in  dying  for  us ;  and 
what  we  shall  be  when  ITe  “shall  appear  a  second  time, 
apart  from  sin,  unto  salvation”  (Heb.  9:28)  ;  for  we 
are  told  that  ”as  often  as  ye  eat  this  bread,  and  drink 
the  cup,  ye  proclaim  the  Lord’s  death  till  he  come 
and,  believing  it  all,  we  receive  more  and  more  of  His 
life,  and  are  strengthened  thereby  for  the  trials,  work, 
and  conflicts  of  life.  Paul  prayed,  “That  the  God  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Father  of  glory,  may  give 
unto  you  a  spirit  of  wisdom  and  revelation  in  the 
knowledge  of  him ;  having  the  eyes  of  your  heart  en¬ 
lightened,  that  ye  may  know  what  is  the  hope  of  his 
calling,  what  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  his  inheritance 
in  the  saints,  and  what  the  exceeding  greatness  of  his 
power  to  us-ward  who  believe,  according  to  that  work¬ 
ing  of  the  strength  of  his  might  which  he  wrought  in 
Christ,  when  he  raised  him  from  the  dead,  and  made 
him  to  sit  at  his  right  hand  in  the  heavenly  places, 
far  above  all  rule,  and  authority,  and  power,  and  do¬ 
minion,  and  every  name  that  is  named,  not  only  in  this 
world,  but  also  in  that  which  is  to  come,  and  he  put 
all  things  in  subjection  under  his  feet,  and  gave  him  to 
be  head  over  all  things  to  the  church,  which  is  his 
body,  the  fullness  of  him  that  filleth  all  in  all”  (Eph. 

1 :  I/-23). 

Third.  Fellowship.  We  are  gregarious  beings. 
“No  man  liveth  unto  himself.”  This  is  one  reason 


IOO 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  CHURCH . 


why  God’s  ancient  people  were  gathered  into  the  “con¬ 
gregation  of  the  wilderness,”  and  why  the  Church  it¬ 
self  was  organized.  Even  when  the  Master  sent  out 
His  disciples  He  gave  direction  that  they  should  go 
by  twos. 

It  is  fundamentally  and  gloriously  true  that  “our 
fellowship  is  with  the  Father,  and  with  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ.”  Jesus  said,  “If  a  man  love  me,  he  will  keep 
my  word ;  and  my  Father  will  love  him,  and  we  will 
come  unto  him,  and  make  our  abode  with  him”  (John 
14:23).  Hence  John  says,  “If  we  walk  in  the  light, 
as  he  is  in  the  light,  we  (the  believer  and  the  triune 
God)  have  fellowship  one  with  another,  and  the  blood 
of  Jesus  his  Son  cleanseth  from  all  sin”  (1  John  1:7). 

But  as  believers  are  one  in  Him,  and  members  of 
His  body,  we  find  the  first  converts  “continued  stead¬ 
fastly  in  the  apostles'  teaching  and  fellowship;”  that 
Paul  and  Barnabas  received  from  the  church  at  Jeru¬ 
salem  “the  right  hands  of  fellowship”  (Gal.  2:9); 
and  Paul  had  occasion  to  thank  God  for  the  fellowship 
of  the  church  at  Philippi.  (See  Phil.  1 :  3-5.) 

What  the  apostles  needed,  and  that  for  which  they 
gave  thanks  to  God,  must  of  necessity  be  of  advantage 
and  value  to  the  convert. 

Fourth.  Sympathy.  I  am  quite  sure  we  all  de¬ 
sire  sympathy  in  hours  of  loneliness,  sorrow,  and  trial. 
At  some  time  in  everv  human  life  there  will  come  a 

j 

longing  for  an  ear  into  which  we  can  tell  the  story  of 
our  struggle  and  grief.  Of  course,  the  ears  of  our 
Elder  Brother  are  always  open  to  our  cry.  But  we 
need  human  as  well  as  Divine  sympathy;  and  we  find 


WHAT  IS  THE  CHURCH? 


IOI 


it  in  the  Church.  “But  God  tempered  the  body  to¬ 
gether,  giving  more  abundant  honor  to  that  part  which 
lacked;  that  there  should  be  no  schism  in  the  body; 
but  that  the  members  should  have  the  same  care  one 
for  another.  And  whether  one  member  suffereth,  all 
the  members  suffer  with  it ;  or  one  member  is  honored, 
all  the  members  rejoice  with  it.  Now,  ye  are  the  body 
of  Christ,  and  severally  members  thereof’  (i  Cor. 
1 2:  24-27).  There  is  no  human  sympathy  comparable 
to  true  Christian  sympathy. 

Fifth.  Watchcare.  Paul  said,  “And  the  peace 
of  God,  which  passeth  all  understanding,  shall  guard 
your  hearts  and  your  thoughts  in  Christ  Jesus”  (Phil. 
4:7)  ;  and  Jude  said,  “Now  unto  him  that  is  able  to 
guard  you  from  stumbling,  and  to  set  you  before  the 
presence  of  his  glory  without  blemish  in  exceeding 
joy”  (verse  24).  While  this  is  all  blessedly  true,  it  is 
also  true  that  God  uses  a  humane  instrument  for  the 
accomplishing  of  His  purposes  in  grace.  In  Heb.  13: 
17  we  are  told  to  “Obey  them  that  have  the  rule  over 
you,  and  submit  to  them :  for  they  watch  in  behalf  of 
your  souls,  as  they  that  shall  give  account.”  “Paul 
said  unto  Barnabas,  Let  us  go  again  and  visit  our 
brethren  in  every  city  where  we  have  preached  the 
word  of  the  Lord,  and  see  how  they  do”  (Acts  15  :  36). 
And  mark  his  intense  anxiety  for  the  welfare  and  ad¬ 
vancement  of  his  brethren  when  he  said,  “Beside  those 
things  that  are  without,  that  which  cometh  upon  me 
daily,  the  care  of  all  the  churches.  Who  is  weak,  and 
I  am  not  weak?  who  is  offended,  and  I  burn  not?” 
(2  Cor.  11:28,  29.)  Is  it  not  an  easy  matter  to  un- 


102 


HIS  DELATION  TO  THE  CHURCH. 


derstand  that  such  faithful  shepherding  and  watch- 
care  is  of  inestimable  value  to  a  beginner  in  the  Chris¬ 
tian  life? 

Sixth.  Benevolence.  There  is  no  benevolent 
organization  at  all  equal,  for  practical  uses,  to  the 
Church  of  God.  The  whole  genius  and  life  of  Chris¬ 
tianity  is  permeated  with  the  spirit  of  disinterested 
benevolence:  “For  ye  know  the  grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  that,  though  he  was  rich,  yet  for  your 
sakes  he  became  poor,  that  ye  through  his  poverty 
might  become  rich”  (2  Cor.  8:9).  His  earthly  min¬ 
istry  was  almost  wholly  to  the  poor:  “The  common 
people  heard  him  gladly,”  and  “The  poor  have  the 
gospel  preached  to  them.”.  In  His  parting  counsel  to 
His  disciples  He  said,  “Ye  have  the  poor  always  with 
you;  but  me  ye  have  not  always”  (Matt.  26:11). 
Therefore  we  are  not  surprised  at  the  much  thought, 
time,  and  service  given  by  the  early  Church  to  the  care 
of  the  poor  among  them.  Paul  said,  “It  hath  been  the 
good  pleasure  of  Macedonia  and  Achaia  to  make  a 
certain  contribution  for  the  poor  among  the  saints  that 
are  at  Jerusalem”  (Rom.  15:26).  He  also  says  in 
Gal.  2:  10,  “Only  they  would  that  we  should  remem¬ 
ber  the  poor ;  which  very  thing  I  was  also  zealous  to 
do.”  That  early  Church  was  the  best  organized  char¬ 
ity  the  world  has  ever  seen.  The  convert  has  no  need 
of  joining  other  societies  to  secure  him  against  suffer¬ 
ings  incidental  to  poverty.  The  Church  is  designed 
to  meet  this  very  possibility. 

Seventh.  Opportunity  for  service.  It  is  just  as 
true  in  spiritual  matters  as  in  other  things  that  “Satan 


WHAT  IS  THE  CHURCH? 


io3 

finds  mischief  still  for  idle  hands  to  do.”  Paul  says, 
“We  are  his  workmanship,  created  in  Christ  Jesus  for 
good  works,  which  God  afore  prepared  that  we  should 
walk  in  them”  (Eph.  2:  10)  ;  therefore  are  we  told  to 
“work  out  your  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling; 
for  it  is  God  which  worketh  in  you  both  to  will  and  to 
work,  for  his  good  pleasure”  (Phil.  2:  12,  13)  ;  and, 
“Be  ye  doers  of  the  word,  and  not  hearers  only,  delud¬ 
ing  your  own  selves”  (James  1:22).  The  Church  is 
not  a  club  for  the  promotion  of  the  worldly  ambitions 
of  its  members,  but  a  busy  workshop,  where  every 
member  is  expected  to  be  employed  and  always  about 
his  Master's  business.  There  is  no  room  for  hangers- 
on  or  drones.  “If  any  will  not  work,  neither  let  him 
eat”  (2  Thess.  3:  10),  is  the  rule  laid  down  for  the 
members.  The  convert  can  never  know  the  thrill  of 
abundant  life  unless  he  exercises  himself  unto  godli¬ 
ness  (1  Tim.  4:  6-8).  Working  for  the  Master  is  also 
as  necessary  to  his  spiritual  growth  as  spiritual  food. 
In  the  Church  he  will  find  organized  activities  that 
embrace  a  wide  range  of  glorious  ministries,  and  invite 
an  almost  numberless  variety  of  gifts ;  there  is  work 
for  all.  The  dignity  and  honor  of  service  of  the  Mas¬ 
ter  here  among  men  can  never  be  overstated.  The 
highest  archangel  that  serves  before  the  dazzling  pres¬ 
ence  of  Jehovah  would  quickly  wing  his  flight  to  earth 

N. 

and  take  the  humblest  place  of  service  to  which  any  of 
us  is  called,  were  he  permitted  to  do  so.  But  no  such 
honor  can  be  his.  Would  that  we  could  appreciate 
our  “high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus!” 

It  will  possibly  be  urged  by  some  who  read  these 


104 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  CHURCH . 


pages  that  I  have  presented  an  ideal  Church.  I  have 
presented  the  New  Testament  Church.  While  it  is 
doubtless  true  that  many  societies  do  not  come  up  to 
the  Bible  standard,  I  certainly  know  some  that  do.  Of 
course,  there  are  many  Churches  that  have  departed 
from  the  Bible  standard,  as  there  are,  without  doubt, 
some  that  were  never  organized  on  that  basis ;  and 
have  also  departed  from  “the  faith  which  was  once  for 
all  delivered  unto  the  saints"  (Jude  3)  ;  “Howbeit  the 
firm  foundation  of  God  standeth,  having  this  seal,  The 
Lord  knoweth  them  that  are  his"  (2  Tim.  2:  19). 

It  is  urged  by  some  that  we  ought  not  to  unite  with 
a  Church  that  is  not  up  to  the  Bible  standard.  But  the 
Bible  forbids  us  “forsaking  the  assembling  of  ourselves 
together,  as  the  custom  of  some  is”  (Heb.  10:25). 
They  also  urge  that  it  is  clearly  our  duty  to  withdraw 
from  any  Church  in  which  things  are  tolerated  that 
are  not  for  the  honor  and  glory  of  God ;  and  where 
individual  members  are  conformed  to  the  world's  fads 
and  fashions.  But  such  a  course  is  most  surely  unwise. 
Since  we  have  seen  clearly  that  the  Church  is  of  Di¬ 
vine  appointment,  and  that  its  manifold  ministries  are 
indispensable  to  the  believer’s  spiritual  welfare  and 
growth,  as  well  as  for  the  salvation  of  the  lost,  surely 
we  owe  the  Church  something.  In  all  conscience  we 
should  do  our  utmost  to  make  it  better.  Therefore, 
the  suggestions  that  we  stand  aloof  or  withdraw  from 
membership  in  the  Church  because  it  is  dishonored  by 
unfaithful  members,  or  is  not  operating  along  Bible 
lines,  come  from  Satan  and  should  not  be  entertained 
for  one  moment. 


WHAT  IS  THE  CHURCH? 


105 


Satan  will  suggest  delay — that  the  convert  ought  to 
wait  for  a  season,  to  see  if  he  really  is  saved,  or  can 
stand  up  to  what  he  has  professed.  It  is  too  important 
a  matter  to  be  precipitate  about:  go  slow!  To  heed 
Satan's  suggestions  is  always  unwise.  The  convert 
will  never  need  the  ministries  of  the  Church,  so  much 
as  in  the  beginning  of  his  Christian  life.  In  the  early 
time,  when  those  who  heard  believed,  they  were 
straightway  baptized  into  the  apostles’  fellowship. 
No  delay  here;  and  there  ought  to  be  none  now. 

When  the  convert  believed  on  Jesus  unto  salva¬ 
tion  he  consented  to  obey  God.  God  commands  the  be¬ 
liever  to  be  baptized.  (See  Matt.  28:  19;  Mark  16: 
16;  Acts  2:  38,  etc.)  Baptism  is  the  doorway  into  the 
organized  Church.  Therefore,  so  surely  as  the  convert 
was  willing  to  obey  God — did  believe  on  Jesus  with 
the  heart — will  he  take  his  place  in  the  Church. 

Satan  will  also  suggest  that  one  can  live  a  Christian 
life  just  as  easily  and  well  outside  as  inside  the 
Church.  If  this  were  true,  then  God  made  a  mistake 
in  instituting  the  Church  and  appointing  its  ordinances 
and  ministrations.  But  God  never  made  a  mistake, 
and  Satan  never  told  the  truth. 

Satan  will  also  sometimes  suggest  to  the  convert 
that  he  go  around  among  the  Churches  to  see  which 
one  he  likes  best.  The  chances  are  if  he  starts  on  that 
kind  of  a  pilgrimage  he  will  soon  become  a  floater. 
Once  in  San  Jose,  California,  I  asked  a  man,  “To  what 
Church  do  you  belong?”  He  replied,  “I  belong  to  all 
of  them.”  I  then  said,  “You’re  a  dead-beat!”  He  de¬ 
manded  an  explanation.  I  said:  “If  everybody  did  as 


106  HIS  DELATION  TO  THE  CHURCH . 

you  there  would  be  no  church.  Somebody  has  to  stand 
by  the  stuff,  support  the  organization,  and  pay  the 
bills;  and  you  are  just  dead-beating  your  church  priv¬ 
ileges  and  advantages/'  I  dealt  with  him  so  faithfully 
that  he  promised  me  he  would,  as  soon  as  possible, 
take  his  place  in  the  church  and  meet  his  responsibil¬ 
ities  in  the  matter,  as  an  honest  man  should,  even  as 
God  requires  of  believers. 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  BIBLE. 


107 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Convert's  Relation  to  the  Bible* 

“All  scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of  God,  and  is  profitable  for  doc¬ 
trine,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  for  instruction  in  righteousness  :  that  the 
man  of  God  may  be  perfect,  throughly  furnished  unto  all  good  works.” — 
2  Tim.  3  :  16,  17. 

The  Bible  is  from  God,  and  tells  us  of  God,  the 

things  we  need,  as  accountable  beings,  to  know,  and 
that  cannot  in  any  other  way  be  ascertained.  The 

Psalmist  said,  “The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God : 
and  the  firmament  showeth  his  handiwork.  Day  unto 
day  uttereth  speech,  and  night  unto  night  showeth 
knowledge/’  Dante,  centuries  later,  borrowed  from 
these  inspired  words  when  he  wrote,  “The  universe  is 
the  expression  of  God,  infinitely  communicated  and 
ever  undiminished ;  a  mirror  in  which  is  reflected  the 
wisdom,  the  power,  and  the  love  of  the  great  Creator.” 
The  silent  stars,  the  towering  mountain,  the  surging 
sea,  the  rushing  river — the  things  of  nature  that  we 
see,  that  are  about  us  and  above  us — these  all  tell  us 
of  an  infinite  God,  wise,  benevolent,  and  all-powerful ; 
but  they  are  utterly  voiceless  as  to  mercy  and  grace. 
When  one  talks  about  “going  through  nature  up  to 
nature’s  God”  they  are  talking  supreme  nonsense.  “For 
our  God  is  a  consuming  fire.”  “Grace  and  truth  came 
by  Jesus  Christ.”  “God  having  of  old  time  spoken 
unto  the  fathers  in  the  prophets  by  divers  portions 
and  in  divers  manners,  hath  at  the  end  of  these  days 
spoken  unto  us  in  his  Son,  whom  he  appointed  heir  of 
all  things,  through  whom  also  he  made  the  worlds ;  who 


io8 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  BIBLE, 


being  the  effulgence  of  his  glory,  and  the  very  image 
of  his  substance,  and  upholding  all  things  by  the  word 
of  his  power,”  etc.,  etc.  (Heb.  1:1-4).  We  under¬ 
stand,  therefore,  that  God  made  known — manifested — 
his  mercy  and  grace  through  Jesus  Christ,  who  said, 
“I  am  the  way,  and  the  truth,  and  the  life:  no  one 
cometh  unto  the  Father,  but  by  me.”  Consequently 
all  we  know  of  God  as  a  merciful  and  gracious  Being 
is  what  is  seen  of  Him  in  Jesus  Christ.  All  we  know 
of  Jesus  Christ  is  what  we  find  in  the  Bible  concerning 
Him.  When  men  talk  of  Jesus  Christ  being  authority 
in  matters  of  truth  and  conduct,  and  yet  deny  the  au¬ 
thority  and  infallibility  of  the  Bible,  they  are  talking 
nonsense ;  for  it  is  impossible  to  have  or  know  an  au¬ 
thoritative  Teacher  through  an  unauthoritative  and 
untrustworthy  record.  Jesus  said,  “This  is  life  eternal, 
that  they  should  know  thee  the  only  true  God,  and  him 
whom  thou  didst  send,  even  Jesus  Christ”  (John  17: 
3).  “Now  faith  is  the  assurance  of  things  hoped  for, 
the  proving  of  things  not  seen.”  That  is,  faith  is  the 
very  highest  form  of  knowledge;  and  “Faith  com¬ 
eth  of  hearing,  and  hearing  by  the  word  of  God” 
(Rom.  10:  17).  All  we  need  to  know  of  God  as  Fa¬ 
ther  and  Judge  we  may  know,  and  should  know,  that 
as  accountable  beings  we  may  be  able  to  answer  at  the 
judgment  seat  of  Christ  with  joy,  and  not  with  grief; 
and  while  here,  be  “ready  always  to  give  answer  to 
every  man  that  asketh  you  a  reason  concerning  the 
hope  that  is  in  you”  (1  Pet.  3:  15).  We  are  informed 
that  “The  holy  scriptures  .  .  .  are  able  to  make  thee 
wise  unto  salvation  through  faith  which  is  in  Christ 


HOW  STUDY  THE  BIBLE? 


109 


Jesus”  (2  Tim.  3:  15)  ;  and  counseled  to  “Give  dili¬ 
gence  to  present  thyself  approved  unto  God,  a  work¬ 
man  that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed,  rightly  dividing 
the  word  of  truth”  (2  Tim.  2:  15).  Because  of  all 
this  the  convert  should  at  once  apply  himself  indus¬ 
triously  to  the  study  of  the  Word  of  God. 

How  STUDY  THE  BlBLE? 

Concerning  this  important  matter  I  venture  to  make 
the  following  suggestions : 

First.  He  should  have  a  Bible  of  his  own,  a  good 
reference  Bible,  of  suitable  size  and  make,  for  both 
study  and  use,  a  book  that  will  last  him  all  his  life — 
his  book,  with  which  he  will  soon  become  familiar ;  a 
thing  of  itself  that  is  very  important.  He  will  not 
study  some  other  person’s  Bible.  He  will  make  little 
headway  if  he  has  to  change  from  one  book  to  another, 
of  different  type,  page,  and  size.  He  may  want  to 
mark  and  make  notes  as  he  studies :  hence  he  should 
have  a  Bible  of  his  own. 

Second.  Prayerfully.  God  says,  “For  my 
thoughts  are  not  your  thoughts,  neither  are  your  ways 
my  ways,  saith  the  Lord.  For  as  the  heavens  are  higher 
than  the  earth,  so  are  my  ways  higher  than  your  ways, 
and  my  thoughts  than  your  thoughts”  (Isa.  55 :  8,  9). 
And,  “It  is  written,  Things  which  eye  saw  not,  and  ear 
heard  not,  and  which  entered  not  into  the  heart  of  man, 
whatsoever  things  God  prepared  for  them  that  love 
him.  But  unto  us  God  revealed  them  through  the  Spir¬ 
it  :  for  the  Spirit  searcheth  all  things,  yea,  the  deep 
things  of  God.  For  who  among  men  knoweth  the 


I  IO 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  BIBLE, 


things  of  a  man  save  the  spirit  of  the  man,  which  is  in 
him  ?  even  so  the  things  of  God  none  knoweth,  save  the 
Spirit  of  God.  But  we  received,  not  the  spirit  of  the 
world,  but  the  Spirit  which  is  of  God ;  that  we  might 
know  the  things  that  are  freely  given  to  us  by  God. 
Which  things  also  we  speak,  not  in  words  which  man’s 
wisdom  teacheth,  but  which  the  spirit  teacheth ;  com¬ 
paring  spiritual  things  with  spiritual.  Now  the  nat¬ 
ural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God : 
for  they  are  foolishness  unto  him ;  and  he  cannot  know 
them,  because  they  are  spiritually  judged”  (i  Cor.  2: 
9-14).  The  words  and  thoughts  of  the  Bible  are 
wholly  different  from  the  words  and  thoughts  of  other 
books.  The  words  of  the  Bible  contain  the  germs  of 
eternal  life.  Jesus  said,  “The  words  that  I  have  spoken 
unto  you  are  spirit,  and  are  life"  (John  6:63).  “Be¬ 
gotten  again,  not  of  corruptible  seed,  but  of  incorrupt¬ 
ible,  through  the  word  of  God,  that  liveth  and  abideth" 
(1  Pet.  1:23).  “Brought  us  forth  by  the  word  of 
truth  .  .  .  the  implanted  word,  which  is  able  to  save 
your  souls"  (James  1:  18,  21).  These  things  can  be 
truthfully  said  of  no  other  book.  Therefore,  the  Bible, 
to  be  understood,  must  be  studied  differently  from 
other  books.  The  most  learned  man  can,  unhelped  by 
the  great  Teacher,  know  absolutely  nothing  of  the  real 
mind  and  thought  of  God  as  given  in  the  Bible.  “The 
letter  killeth,  but  the  Spirit  giveth  life"  (2  Cor.  3:6). 
Therefore  did  Jesus  say,  “Howbeit  when  he,  the  Spirit 
of  truth,  is  come,  he  shall  guide  you  into  all  the  truth : 
for  he  shall  not  speak  from  himself;  but  what  things 
soever  he  shall  hear,  these  shall  he  speak :  and  he 


HOW  STUDY  THE  BIBLE? 


hi 


shall  declare  unto  you  the  things  that  are  to  come. 
He  shall  glorify  me :  for  he  shall  take  of  mine, 
and  shall  declare  it  unto  you”  (John  16:  13,  14). 
“No  man  can  say,  Jesus  is  Lord,  but  in  the  Holy 
Ghost”  (1  Cor.  12:3).  By  all  this  it  is  seen  that  we 
are  absolutely  dependent  upon  the  Holy  Spirit  for 
a  knowledge  of  what  the  Bible  really  teaches.  He  must 
illuminate  the  sacred  page ;  He  must  quicken  the  mind 
and  stimulate  the  thought ;  He  must  reveal  the  one 
Person  of  whom  the  written  Word  everywhere  speaks 
— the  Living  Word;  which  “became  flesh  and  dwelt 
among  us,”  in  whom  “was  life;  and  the  life  was  the 
light  of  men.”  Therefore  we  must  prayerfully  seek 
the  Spirit's  help,  and  with  docility  of  spirit  and  sub¬ 
missiveness  of  will  bow  ourselves  with  unquestioning 
faith  to  His  guidance  and  instruction. 

Third.  Systematically.  It  is  not  possible  for  one 
to  master  the  contents  of  any  book  except  by  systematic 
study.  Since  this  is  true  of  other  books,  it  is  certainly 
much  more  true  of  the  Book  of  Books.  Occasional, 
haphazard  reading  will  not  suffice :  there  must  be  thor¬ 
ough,  systematic  work.  When  a  chapter  or  para¬ 
graph  has  been  read  it  is  always  a  good  thing  to  ask 
one's  self,  What  did  I  get  out  of  it?  If  nothing,  then 
read  it  again,  until  the  sense  and  meaning  are  obvious, 
and  then  search  through  the  Book  for  all  that  is  said 
upon  the  subject.  In  no  other  way  can  one  know  ac¬ 
curately  and  well  what  the  Bible  teaches. 

Fourth.  As  a  Book.  I  know  that,  chronologic¬ 
ally,  there  are  misarrangements  of  the  books  compos¬ 
ing  the  Bible:  but  this  is  not  of  vital  importance; 


112 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  BIBLE, 


though  we  ought  to  understand  the  situation  as  far 
as  we  can.  According  to  what  I  judge  to  be  the  best 
information  we  now  have  upon  the  subject,  the  case 
stands  about  this:  Job  is  the  oldest  writing,  but  the 
date  is  uncertain.  Genesis  and  Exodus,  1491  B.  C., 
Leviticus,  1490;  Deuteronomy  and  Numbers,  1451; 
Joshua,  1427,  Judges,  1406;  Ruth,  1312;  First  Samuel, 
1055  ;  Second  Samuel,  1018;  First  Chronicles,  1015; 
Psalms — of  these  75  are  expressly  assigned  to  David, 
and  a  large  majority  of  the  rest  are  clearly  his,  even 
without  a  title;  one  to  Moses,  one  to  Solomon,  12  to 
Asaph,  11  for  the  “Sons  of  Korah,”  one  to  Heman, 
one  to  Ethan,  15  Pilgrim  Songs,  11  Hallelujah  Psalms, 
or  12  if  we  include  the  great  “Mercy  Psalm 51  are 
anonymous ;  34  have  no  title  or  superscription — the 
“Orphan  Psalms."  These  “Orphan  Psalms”  the  Tal¬ 
mud,  Hilary,  Jerome,  and  others  assign  to  the  author 
named  immediately  preceding.  The  fancy  of  the  Sep- 
tuagint  Version  that  they  are  to  be  distributed  to  Jer¬ 
emiah,  Ezekiel,  Haggai,  and  Zechariah  has  no  histor¬ 
ical  foundation.  Far  more  likely,  they  are  parts  of 
systems  of  Psalms  whose  authors’  names  are  given. 
Therefore  we  may  speak  of  the  Psalms  as  belonging 
somewhere  between  1015  and  1055  B.  C.  Song  of 
Solomon,  1013 ;  First  Kings,  i-xi,  1004;  Second  Chron¬ 
icles,  i-xi,  1004;  Proverbs,  1000;  Ecclesiastes,  975; 
First  Kings,  xii,  etc.,  897 ;  Jonah,  862 ;  Joel,  800 ;  Amos, 
787;  Micah,  750;  Hosea,  740;  Nahum,  713;  Isaiah, 
698;  Zephaniah,  630;  Habakkuk,  626;  Second  Chron¬ 
icles,  x,  etc.,  623;  Second  Kings,  590;  Jeremiah  and 
Lamentations,  588;  Obadiah,  587;  Ezekiel,  574;  Dan- 


HOW  STUDY  THE  BIBLE?  113 

iel,  534;  Haggai  and  Zechariah,  520;  Esther,  509; 
Ezra,  457;  Nehemiah,  434;  and  Malachi,  397.  Gala¬ 
tians,  spring  of  53  A.  D. ;  First  Thessalonians  in  the 
early  summer  and  Second  Thessalonians  in  the  autumn 
of  the  same  year;  First  Corinthians,  57;  Second  Corin¬ 
thians,  late  in  the  year  57;  Romans,  58;  James,  61; 
Ephesians,  Colossians,  *  and  Philemon,  62;  Second 
Peter,  62 ;  Matthew  wrote  his  Aramaic  gospel  in  the 
same  year;  Philippians,  63;  First  Peter,  Acts,  and 
Mark,  64;  First  Timothy  and  Titus,  65;  Second  Tim¬ 
othy,  66;  Mark's  gospel  was  issued  in  67;  Jude  and 
Luke,  75;  Hebrews,  80;  Greek  Matthew,  85;  Gospel 
and  Epistles  of  John,  80-90;  Revelation,  95. 

The  convert  should  begin  at  the  first  and  read  right 
through  to  the  last,  as  he  would  any  other  book,  fol¬ 
lowing  the  thread  of  the  narrative.  He  should  do  this 
conscientiously  once  every  year. 

Fifth.  By  books.  Each  of  the  66  books  compos¬ 
ing  the  Bible  is,  in  a  certain  sense,  complete  in  itself; 
but,  like  the  separate  pieces  composing  a  mosaic,  each 
needs  to  be  studied  in  its  relations  to  the  others  in 
order  to  see  the  beauty  there  is  in  the  whole ;  and  when 
in  their  proper  place  they  compose  one  beautiful  whole 
— a  complete  book.  Each  book  has  one,  sometimes 
two,  and  occasionally  three  general  thoughts,  which, 
if  one  can  get  hold  of,  when  reading  will  serve  as  a 
key  to  unlock  its  treasures.  The  following  suggestions 
may  help  the  reader: 

Genesis — Man  created;  a  Saviour  promised;  man  in  bond¬ 
age. 

Exodus — Redemption. 

Leviticus — Worshiping. 

8 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  BIBLE. 


1 14 


Numbers — Wandering. 

Deuteronomy — Consecration. 

Joshua — Warfare  and  victory. 

Judges — Failure. 

Ruth — Hospitality. 

First  and  Second  Books  of  Samuel,  Kings,  and  Chronicles 
— Types  of  the  kingdom. 

Ezra — Restoration. 

Nehemiah — Watchfulness  and  diligence. 

Esther — God’s  ways  not  our  ways. 

Job — Death  of  self. 

Psalms — Life  hid  with  Christ  in  God. 

Proverbs — Receiving  wisdom. 

Ecclesiastes — Man  trying  world  and  unsatisfied. 

Song  of  Solomon — Christ  all-satisfying. 

Isaiah — The  Redeemer  in  humiliation  and  glory. 

Jeremiah — Judgment  on  the  redeemed. 

Lamentations — Chastenings  on  the  redeemed. 

Ezekiel — The  old  and  new  dispensation. 

Daniel — The  coming  Redeemer — King  of  kings. 

Hosea — Call  to  the  backslider  to  return. 

Joel — Redemption  for  all. 

Amos — Judgment  and  restoration. 

Obadiah — Judgment  on  enemies. 

Jonah — God’s  grace  to  the  Gentiles. 

Micah — Same  as  Isaiah. 

Nahum — Appendix  to  Jonah. 

Habakkuk — Woes  on  the  evil. 

Zephaniah — Chastisement. 

Haggai — Repentance. 

Zechariah — Preparation  for  the  coming  Christ. 

Malachi — The  Messenger. 

Matthew — Fulfiller  of  prophecy.  (Written  for  the  He¬ 
brews.) 

Mark— Servant— works.  (Written  for  Gentile  converts.) 
Luke — Son  of  man  in  humiliation.  (Written  for  the  Gentile 
world.) 

John — Faith.  (Written  to  answer  all  questionings  with 

reference  to  Christ’s  presence  on  earth.) 

Acts — The  power  of  the  Gospel. 


HOW  STUDY  THE  BIBLE? 


115 


Romans — Doctrines  of  redemption  systematized. 

First  and  Second  Corinthians — Church  fellowship. 

Galatians — Liberty. 

Ephesians — Heavenly  walk. 

Philippians — Christ  perfecting  his  work  in  us. 

Colossian s — Union  with  Christ. 

First  Thessalonians — Second  coming  of  Christ. 

Second  Thessalonians — Day  of  the  Lord. 

First  and  Second  Timothy — Instruction  to  ministers. 

Titus — Qualifications  and  advice  to  ministers. 

Philemon — Brotherly  joy  among  ministers. 

Hebrews — Better  things. 

James — Faith  manifested. 

First  and  Second  Peter — Precious  things. 

First  John — Assurance. 

Second  John — Warning  against  false  doctrines. 

Third  John — Hospitality.  Same  as  Ruth. 

Jude — Warnings  against  the  apostasy  of  the  last  days. 

Revelation — Chapter  I. — Jesus  looking  into  the  state  of  the 
churches. 

Chapters  II  and  III. — In  prophetic  outline,  the  history  of  the 
churches. 

Chapters  IV  and  V. — The  real  church  in  heaven. 

Chapters  VI  to  XVIII. — The  outpouring  of  successive 
judgments  upon  the  earth,  growing  sharper  and  sharper,  but 
only  hardening  men  in  iniquity  until  the  evil  heads  up  in  the 
antichrist  and  a  monstrous  system  of  corruption. 

Chapter  XIX. — The  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb  and  his 
descent  with  the  saints  to  inflict  personal  vengeance  upon  anti¬ 
christ  and  his  armies. 

Chapter  XX. — The  millennial  kingdom,  during  which  Satan 
is  bound,  and  the  final  judgment  of  the  great  white  throne. 

Chapters  XXI  and  XXII. — Eternal  glory. 

Try,  conscientiously,  to  master  the  salient  thought 
or  teaching  of  each  book.  By  this  method  one  can 
more  easily  and  nearly  get  the  scope  of  the  entire 
volume. 

Every  principle  of  ethical  truth  known  to  the  world 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  BIBLE . 


1 16 

to-day  can  be  found  in  the  earliest  books  composing 
the  Bible,  i.  c.y  Job  and  the  Pentateuch — the  five  books 
of  Moses.  The  subsequent  books  are,  ethically  speak¬ 
ing,  a  development  and  unfolding  of  what  in  these  ear¬ 
liest  books  is  found  in  germ  form.  Everything  in  the 
Law,  the  prophets,  and  the  Psalms  points  and  moves 
with  undeviating  accuracy  to  Jesus  Christ  in  His  hu¬ 
miliation  and  in  His  glory — as  Redeemer  and  King. 
He  said  to  the  Jews,  who  were  the  custodians  of  the 
sacred  writings,  “Ye  search  the  Scriptures;  because 
ye  think  that  in  them  ye  have  eternal  life;  and  these 
are  they  that  testify  of  me ;  and  ye  will  not  come  to 
me,  that  ye  may  have  life”  (John  5:39,  40).  “And 
beginning  from  Moses  and  from  all  the  prophets,  he 
interpreted  to  them  in  all  the  scriptures  the  things 
concerning  himself”  (Luke  24:  27).  The  New  Testa¬ 
ment  books  certify  to  the  fulfillment  of  the  predictive 
prophecies  concerning  Jesus;  make  plain  what  must  be 
the  influence  and  results  of  His  finished  work  for  this 
Gospel  dispensation,  and  His  ultimate  triumphs,  “For 
he  must  reign,  till  he  hath  put  all  his  enemies  under 
his  feet ;“  and  “His  dominion  shall  be  from  sea  to  sea, 
and  from  the  river  even  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.” 

The  last  book  of  the  Bible  is  a  summation  of  the 
sixty-five  that  go  before.  Just  as  a  good  lawyer,  after 
making  his  argument,  at  the  last  sums  it  all  up  in  the 
fewest,  briefest  statements,  just  so  do  we  find  the 
ultimate  object  of  the  whole  Bible  stated  concisely  and 
yet  comprehensively  in  the  book  of  Revelation.  The 
late  Professor  Delitzsch  said,  “The  Apocalypse  repre¬ 
sents  the  Old  Testament  cscliata  in  their  future  tern- 


HOW  STUDY  THE  BIBLE? 


ii  7 

poral  succession  and  order.  It  is,  in  this  respect,  the 
key  to  the  prophetic  Word.'”  Dr.  Kliefoth  said,  “The 
Apocalypse  actually  brings  nothing  more  concerning 
the  last  things  than  what  is  elsewhere  found  in  the 
other  Scriptures  of  the  prophets,  our  Lord’s  words, 
and  the  utterances  of  the  apostles.” 

Sixth.  By  Characters.  Every  prominent  indi¬ 
vidual  mentioned  in  the  Scriptures  is  illustrative  of 
some  distinctive  truth.  For  instance,  Abraham  stands 
for  faith.  One  can  never  know  what  is  the  real  mean¬ 
ing  of  faith  as  taught  in  the  Bible,  unless  he  gets  well 
acquainted  with  the  old  patriarch.  In  his  life  we  find 
the  theory  in  practical  operation.  Moses  stands  for 
meekness;  Job,  for  patience;  Peter,  for  zeal;  John, 
for  love ;  etc.,  etc.  Beside  this  many  important  truths 
are  practically  demonstrated  by  these  personages. 

Seventh.  Doctrinally.  Great  moral  principles 
are  taught  in  the  Bible.  Whether  they  belong  to  the 
Law  or  the  Gospel,  they  are  all  related  to  Jesus;  they 
have  to  do  with  Him ;  they  lead  to  Him ;  they  reveal 
Him.  Indeed,  so  true  is  this  that  it  can  be  truly  said 
we  cannot  know  Him  at  all  excepting  as  He  is  dis¬ 
closed  through  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible.  Hence  we 
are  told  that  “All  scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of 
God,  and  is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  cor¬ 
rection,  for  instruction  in  righteousness:  that  the  man 
of  God  may  be  perfect,  throughly  furnished  unto  all 
good  works”  (2  Tim.  3 :  16,  17).  Paul  in  his  last  mes¬ 
sage  to  his  son  in  the  Gospel  solemnly  charged  him 
to  “Preach  the  word ;  be  instant  in  season,  out  of  sea¬ 
son  ;  reprove,  rebuke,  exhort  with  all  long-suffering 


ii  8 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  BIBLE. 


and  doctrine.  For  the  time  will  come  when  they  will 
not  endure  sound  doctrine ;  but  after  their  own  lusts 
shall  they  heap  to  themselves  teachers,  having  itching 
ears ;  and  they  shall  turn  away  their  ears  from  the 
truth”  (2  Tim.  4:2-4). 

It  is  a  good  plan  to  take  the  doctrines  the  churches 
hold  to  be  fundamental,  one  by  one,  and  with  a  con¬ 
cordance  find  all  the  Bible  has  to  say  upon  the  sub¬ 
ject,  and  read  it  carefully.  For  instance,  take  the  sub¬ 
ject  of  redemption.  Find  out  what  the  Book  has  to 
say  on  the  matter.  By  this  means  one  can  soon  know 
what  is  the  teaching  of  the  Scriptures  on  that  subject. 
It  is  an  admirable  way  to  become  indoctrinated  in  fun¬ 
damental  truth.  And  one  following  this  suggestion 
will  be  agreeably  surprised  how  soon  he  will  become 
familiar  with  the  deep  things  of  God.  Doubt,  skepti¬ 
cism,  and  unrest  are  distinguishing  characteristics  of 
these  degenerate  days.  God’s  infallible  remedy  and 
preventive  is  the  teaching  of  His  Holy  Word — the 
doctrines  of  grace. 

Eighth.  Historically.  The  Bible  is  every  way 
the  best  ancient  history  in  the  world,  but  it  has  to  do 
almost  wholly  with  one  people — the  Hebrews.  All 
other  peoples  referred  to  in  this  record  are  mentioned 
only  incidentally.  Of  course,  there  is  a  brief  history 
given  of  creation,  and  of  the  descendants  of  Adam  un¬ 
til  Abraham,  and  of  the  world ;  but  this  is  but  an 
inconsiderable  portion  of  the  record,  the  bulk  of  which 
has  to  do  with  God’s  chosen,  peculiar  people.  So  that 
it  may  be  said  the  Bible  is  a  history  of  the  Hebrew 
people.  The  most  advanced  learning  and  acutest  in- 


HOW  STUDY  THE  BIBLE? 


119 

genuity  skepticism  can  command  has  failed  utterly  to 
prove  demonstratively  one  single  error  against  the 
historicalness  of  the  record.  Professor  A.  H.  Sayce, 
of  Oxford  University,  acknowledged  and  everywhere 
recognized  to  be  the  foremost  archaeologist,  has  re¬ 
cently  said,  “The  circumstance  that  the  most  uncom¬ 
promising  opponents  of  the  higher  criticism  are  to  be 
found  in  the  foremost  ranks  of  the  students  of  Assyr¬ 
ian  and  Egyptian  antiquities  is  strikingly  significant. ” 
These  antiquarians  have  done  a  wonderful  work.  It 
seems  that  almost  every  turn  of  their  spades  brings 
to  light  some  fresh  proof  of  the  historical  trustworthi¬ 
ness  of  the  inspired  record. 

Professor  Fritz  Hommel,  of  Munich,  who,  after  Pro¬ 
fessor  Sayce,  is  recognized  as  the  ablest  living  archae¬ 
ologist,  and  more  than  Professor  Sayce  a  scholar 
and  critic,  has  recently  said,  with  regard  to  the  deci¬ 
pherments  made  of  the  Tel-el-Amarna  tablets;  “They 
brush  aside  the  cobweb  theories  of  the  so-called  higher 
critics  of  the  Pentateuch,  and  place  us  in  a  position 
from  which  no  future  attack  of  skeptical  criticism  can 
hope  to  dislodge  us.  The  theory  of  higher  criticism 
must  collapse  inevitably  and  irretrievably,  and  the  cir¬ 
cumstance  that  the  critics  still  persist  in  holding  their 
views  against  indisputable  evidence  to  the  contrary 
we  can  only  regard  as  additional  proof  of  the  hopeless 
bankruptcy  of  their  theories.” 

Every  student  of  the  Bible  should  read  the  contem¬ 
poraneous  histories  of  the  peoples  and  lands  of  which 
it  treats.  The  following  books  will  be  found  to  be 
wonderfully  interesting  and  helpful :  'Assyria ,  Its 


120 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  BIBLE, 


Princes ;  Priests ,  and  People;  The  Races  of  the  Old 
Testament ;  The  Hittites;  Fresh  Light  from  the  An¬ 
cient  Monuments ;  The  Ancient  Empires  of  the  East; 
Patriarchal  Palestine;  and  The  Higher  Criticism  and 
the  Monuments — all  by  Professor  A.  H.  Sayce,  of 
Oxford  University,  England;  also,  The  Ancient  He¬ 
brew  Tradition ,  by  Professor  Fritz  Hommel,  of  Uni¬ 
versity  of  Munich  ;  and  The  Primitive  Hebrew  Records 
in  the  Light  of  Modern  Research ,  by  W.  St.  Ched 
Boscawen. 

Ninth.  Chronologically.  In  looking  over  the 
landscape  of  the  past  one  may  see  certain  prominent 
features  that  rise  like  mountains  from  the  plain,  which, 
if  rightly  understood,  will  serve  as  guideboards  upon 
an  unknown  road,  to  direct  us  in  our  study.  Almost 
exactly  halfway  between  Adam  and  Christ  stands 
Abraham,  God's  covenant  with  him  marking  the  half¬ 
way  point.  Halfway  between  Abraham  and  Adam 
stands  Noah,  while  halfway  between  Abraham  and 
Christ  stands  King  David.  Or,  the  period  of  the  Old 
Testament  may  be  divided  thus:  The  Patriarchs,  2,000 
years;  the  Judges,  1,000  years,  including  the  period 
of  bondage  in  Egypt;  the  Kings,  1,000  years,  includ¬ 
ing  the  captivities  and  dispersion.  Or,  it  may  be 
marked  thus :  The  age  of  paradise  by  the  fall ;  the  ante¬ 
diluvian  age  by  the  flood ;  the  postdiluvian  age  by 
Babel ;  the  Israelitish  age  by  the  Babylonian  captivity ; 
the  postcaptivity  age  by  the  rejection  of  Messiah;  and 
the  Christian  age,  in  which  we  now  are,  by  the  second 
coming  of  Christ.  With  these  prominent  features  un¬ 
derstood,  it  becomes  comparatively  easy  to  make  our 


HOW  STUDY  THE  BIBLE f 


121 


way ;  at  any  rate,  we  will  by  this  means  be  greatly 
helped  in  our  study  of  the  far-away  past. 

Tenth.  Geographically.  Every  Christian  should 
be  as  familiar  with  the  geography  of  Bible  lands  as 
with  that  of  his  own  country  or  town.  The  importance 
of  this  is  far  greater  than  one  is  wont  to  think.  Let 
me  give  an  illustration  of  what  I  mean.  There  lived 
in  Capernaum  a  certain  nobleman,  whose  son  was  sick 
unto  death.  The  nobleman,  of  course,  had  a  father’s 
solicitude  for  his  son’s  recovery;  and  hearing  that  Je¬ 
sus  was  at  Cana  he  went  there  “and  besought  him 
that  he  would  come  down,  and  heal  his  son:  for  he 
was  at  the  point  of  death.  Then  said  Jesus  unto  him, 
Except  ye  see  signs  and  wonders,  ye  will  not  believe. 
The  nobleman  said  unto  him,  Sir,  come  down  ere  my 
child  die.  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Go  thy  way:  thy  son 
liveth.  And  the  man  believed  the  word  that  Jesus 
had  spoken  unto  him,  and  he  went  his  way.  And  as 
he  was  now  going  down,  his  servants  met  him,  and 
told  him,  saying,  Thy  son  liveth.  Then  inquired  he 
of  them  the  hour  when  he  began  to  amend.  And  they 
said  unto  him,  Yesterday  at  the  seventh  hour  the  fever 
left  him.  So  the  father  knew  that  it  was  at  the  same 
hour,  in  the  which  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Thy  son  liv¬ 
eth”  (John  4:47-53).  If  that  nobleman  had  had  the 
kind  of  faith  the  average  believer  has,  as  soon  as  Jesus 
told  him,  “Thy  son  liveth,”  he  would  have  hurried 
right  home  to  see  if  it  was  even  so ;  but  he  had  a  better 
faith  than  that,  for  he  evidently  believed  what  Jesus 
had  said,  and  dismissing  his  anxiety,  remained  at  Cana 
until  next  day  waiting  upon  the  ministry  of  Jesus, 


122 


HIS  DELATION  TO  THE  BIBLE. 


confident  that  it  was  well  with  his  son.  For,  had  he 
started  for  home  at  the  seventh  hour,  he  would  have 
reached  there  before  the  closing  of  the  day.  This 
knowledge  of  the  case  we  get  by  simply  knowing  the 
distance  between  Cana  and  Capernaum,  and  thus  gain 
a  view  of  that  nobleman's  faith  that  we  could  not 
otherwise  have. 

When  I  was  a  young  man,  acting  upon  a  resolve  I 
made  to  become  acquainted  with  the  geography  of 
Bible  lands,  I  devoted  one  hour  a  week,  for  thirteen 
weeks,  to  the  study  of  the  subject,  and  since  then  when 
reading  my  Bible  I  seldom  or  never  have  to  get  a 
map  to  look  up  things — I  have  it  all  in  my  mind's 
eye;  just  as  when  I  am  reading  of  anything  that  has 
occurred  in  Philadelphia  I  do  not  have  to  get  a  map  of 
the  city — I  am  familiar  with  the  location,  boundaries, 
and  plan  of  the  city,  and  it  is  all  before  me  as  I  read. 

Eleventh.  Meditatively.  In  these  days  of  hurry, 
rush,  and  worry  there  is  need,  more  than  ever,  of  our 
taking  time  to  calmly  and  thoughtfully  consider  eter¬ 
nal  verities.  The  Psalmist  said,  “O  how  love  I  thy 
law !  it  is  my  meditation  all  the  day."  That  is  how  he 
came  to  love  it:  he  meditated  upon  it.  The  upright 
man  finds  “his  delight  in  the  law  of  the  Lord :  and  in 
his  law  doth  he  meditate  day  and  night"  (Psa.  1:2). 
The  word  might  be  rendered  “ruminate."  It  signifies 
just  what  is  meant  by  a  cow  chewing  her  cud.  Take  a 
verse,  a  paragraph,  an  incident,  or  a  simple  sentence, 
and,  turning  it  over  and  over  in  your  thought,  ponder 
upon  it  all  day  long  and  during  the  nighttime  too; 
and  the  more  you  do  it,  the  more  will  you  love  it  and 


HOW  STUDY  THE  BIBLE ? 


123 


delight  yourself  in  it.  If  we  never  meditate  upon  the 
truths  of  God's  Word,  the  Bible  will  always  be  a  dull, 
uninteresting  book  to  us.  The  convert  should  re¬ 
solve  to  have  a  little  time  in  each  day,  if  not  more  than 
ten  minutes,  when  he  will  meditate  upon  these  things, 
and  then  conscientiously  follow  out  the  resolve.  The 
busiest  of  us  can  do  it,  and  the  busier  we  are  the 
greater  the  need  of  our  doing  it. 

Twelfth.  Reverently.  The  Bible  is  God’s  third 
best  gift  to  man:  Jesus,  the  first  and  best:  the  Holy 
Spirit,  second  best;  and  the  Bible,  third  best.  We 
could  know  nothing  of  the  first  and  second  Persons 
of  the  Triune  God  but  for  the  Bible;  therefore  it  con¬ 
tains  that  which  is  most  precious  to  us.  Hence  it 
was  that  Job  said,  “I  have  esteemed  the  words  of  his 
mouth  more  than  my  necessary  food.”  While  we 
should  alwavs  reverence  the  Bible,  of  course  it  should 
not  be  worshiped  as  a  fetich.  Of  course,  no  one  ever 
does  this,  yet  the  critics  charge  this  upon  those  who 
believe  the  Bible  is  God’s  Word.  He  who  says,  “The 
Bible  is  no  better  than  a  mass  book  for  stopping  a 
bullet,  and  not  so  good  as  holy  water  for  putting  out  a 
fire,”  says  what  some  people  may  call  a  clever  saying, 
but  I  characterize  it  as  very  irreverent,  and  have  no 
hesitation  in  saying  he  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  himself 
to  thus  speak  of  God’s  Holy  Word. 

Thirteenth.  Affectionately.  As  already  point¬ 
ed  out,  the  Psalmist  loved  God’s  law  because  he  med¬ 
itated  upon  it.  I  know  not  how  otherwise  we  can  ever 
have  a  genuine  affection  for  the  Bible.  It  is  filled  with 
treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge.  When  we  come 


124 


HIS  RELATION  70  THE  BIBLE. 


to  gather  these  treasures,  and  contemplate  their  incom¬ 
parable  beauty,  and  form  some  approximate  estimate 
of  their  priceless  value,  then,  and  not  until  then,  will 
we  be  enamored  and  really  love  the  Word  of  truth. 
Let  us  cherish  and  cultivate  an  affectionate  regard  for 
the  sacred  volume. 

Fourteenth.  Daily.  “Now  these  were  more  noble 
than  those  in  Thessalonica,  in  that  they  received  the 
word  with  all  readiness  of  mind,  and  examined  the 
scriptures  daily,  whether  these  things  were  so.  There¬ 
fore  many  of  them  believed”  (Acts  17:  11,  12).  The 
man  who  studies  the  Bible  daily  is  continually  re¬ 
freshed.  If  all  the  members  of  any  church  could  be 
induced  to  do  this,  that  church  would  be  in  a  per¬ 
petual  revival.  We  need  daily  food  for  our  bodies. 
Our  spiritual  natures  need  nourishment  quite  as  cer¬ 
tainly  and  much.  There  is  no  food  for  the  spiritual 
man  save  the  Word  of  God.  It  is  milk  for  babes  and 
bread  and  meat  for  those  of  riper  years.  Neglect  to 
study  the  Bible,  and  spiritual  leanness  is  inevitable. 
No  matter  how  busy,  you  take  time  to  feed  the  body. 
Is  the  spiritual  nature  of  so  much  less  account  that  you 
cannot  find  or  take  time  to  feed  it  ? 

Fifteenth.  Conscientiously.  Since  we  cannot 
grow  in  grace,  or  become,  in  any  large  sense,  efficient 
in  the  Master’s  service  if  we  neglect  the  study  of  the 
Bible,  it  becomes  our  bounden  duty  to  give  ourselves 
conscientiously  to  this  matter,  especially  since  it  is 
said,  “Study  to  show  thyself  approved  unto  God,  a 
workman  that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed,  rightly 
dividing  the  word  of  truth”  (2  Tim.  2:  15). 


HOW  STUDY  THE  BIBLE ? 


125 


Sixteenth.  Persistently.  There  are  so  very 
many  demands  upon  our  time  and  thought  that  one 
must  be  conscientious  in  this  matter  or  he  will  not  be 
persistent;  and  he  must  be  persistent  or  he  will  not 
make  any  headway.  There  are  so  very  many  things 
that  have  to  be  done  every  day  that  study  of  the  Bible, 
which  does  not  seem  to  be  urgent,  can  and  will  be 
thrust  aside  unless  we  persistently  adhere  to  our  resolve 
— and  it  is  one  that  ought  to  be  taken  by  every  be¬ 
liever — to  give  some  time  during  each  day  to  the  study 
of  the  Word. 

Seventeenth.  Comparatively.  That  is,  compare 
Scripture  with  Scripture.  There  is  no  commentary 
so  good.  There  is  not  a  difficult  passage  but  what  will 
be  made  plain  to  the  prayerful  and  conscientious  stu¬ 
dent  by  other  passages,  if  he  will  but  search  it  out. 
Beware  of  those  so-called  helps  to  Bible  study,  that  are 
being  pushed  into  the  young  peoples’  societies  and 
Sunday  schools  everywhere,  that  are  permeated  with 
the  opinions  of  so-called  scholars,  such  as  is  issued  by 
the  American  Institute  of  Sacred  Literature.  “There 
is  death  in  the  pot.” 

Eighteenth.  Socially.  This  is  a  day  of  clubs. 
They  are  organized  for  well-nigh  everything  imagin¬ 
able.  Why  not  organize  a  Bible  club?  I  know  it 
would  be  a  good  move.  Let  it  be  composed  of  say 
fourteen  members.  Let  them  meet  once  a  week,  for 
an  hour,  from  house  to  house.  With  that  number  of 
members  you  can  usually  count  upon  ten  being  pres¬ 
ent.  Let  things  be  conducted  somewhat  after  this 
fashion :  It  was  announced  a  week  before  that  Repent- 


126 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  BIBLE. 


ance  was  the  subject  for  consideration  at  the  next 
meeting.  During  the  intervening  time  each  member 
has  made  an  effort  to  read  everything  in  the  Bible  on 
that  subject.  With  the  help  of  a  good  concordance 
that  would  not  be  much  of  a  task.  When  the  club 
meets,  the  members  all  sit  about  a  table,  each  with  a 
copy  of  the  Bible  and  a  notebook  and  pencil.  A  copy 
of  Cruden's  Concordance  should  be  at  hand,  and  also 
of  Young's  Analytical  Concordance.  The  person  at 
the  head  of  the  table  directs  affairs.  Prayer  is  offered 
to  God  for  guidance  and  instruction.  Then  the  leader 
tells  what  one  thing  he  found  in  the  Bible  on  the  sub¬ 
ject,  and  no  more  than  one.  It  will  be  in  order  for 
anyone  to  make  a  suggestion  or  ask  questions  pertinent 
to  the  subject  at  any  time.  The  leader's  business  is 
not  to  teach,  but  to  hold  the  conversation  to  the  subject 
under  consideration.  Then  the  person  seated  to  the 
left  of  the  leader  tells  what  one  thing  he  found  in  the 
Bible  on  repentance,  and  so  on  until  each  person  pres¬ 
ent  has  told  what  one  thing  they  have  found  on  the 
subject.  By  holding  each  person  present  to  one  thing, 
each  one  will  have  a  chance  to  contribute,  for  none  can 
exhaust  the  subject.  In  this  way,  within  the  hour, 
all,  or  well-nigh  all,  the  salient  points  on  the  subject 
will  be  brought  out.  At  the  close  of  the  hour  the  per¬ 
son  seated  immediately  to  the  right  of  the  leader  an¬ 
nounces  the  subject  for  the  next  meeting,  as  he  is  to 
be  the  leader.  At  the  next  meeting  he  sits  at  the  head 
of  the  table — each  person  occupying  the  seat  just  to 
the  left  of  the  one  he  occupied  at  the  previous  meeting. 
This  movement  to  be  continued,  and  thus  each  member 


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127 


will  lead  in  turn.  After  the  study  hour  refreshments 
can  be  served  if  convenient  and  best,  but  in  any  event 
a  half  hour  can  be  spent  in  social  conversation.  Any¬ 
one  is  at  liberty  to  organize  such  a  club,  if  he  can. 
If  composed  of  women  only  it  should  meet  of  an  after¬ 
noon.  If  of  men  only,  or  of  both  men  and  women,  it 
should  meet  at  night. 

It  may  be  well  for  me  at  this  point  to  mention  a  few 
things  that  bear  upon  the  subject  of  Bible  study.  I 
will  give  four : 

The  First  relates  to  the  character  of  the  Word  of 
God,  concerning  which  two  things  can  be  said,  viz. : 
It  is  all-powerful  and  all-sufficient  to  accomplish  that 
for  which  it  was  given.  In  Jer.  23:29  it  is  said,  “Is 
not  my  word  like  as  a  fire  ?  saith  the  Lord ;  and  like  a 
hammer  that  breaketh  the  rock  in  pieces  ?”  And  in 
Heb.  4:  12  it  is  said,  “The  word  of  God  is  living,  and 
active,  and  sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword,  and 
piercing  even  to  the  dividing  of  soul  and  spirit,  of  both 
joints  and  marrow,  and  quick  to  discern  the  thoughts 
and  intents  of  the  heart,”  Three  similies  here  used 
to  indicate  the  power  of  the  word  over  thought,  will, 
and  conscience,  i.  e .,  “hammer,”  to  break;  “fire,”  to 
melt  and  fuse,  and  “sharper  than  any  two-edged 
sword,”  to  divide  soul  and  spirit  and  to  discern  the 
thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart. 

More  than  twenty  years  ago,  while  assisting  Mr. 
D.  L.  Moody  in  the  Hippodrome  meetings  in  New 
York  city,  I  was  present  with  a  large  and  distinguished 
party  of  ministers  and  laymen  in  the  home  of  a  prom¬ 
inent  and  wealthy  gentleman  on  Madison  Square. 


128 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  BIBLE. 


After  dinner  we  went  into  the  gentleman's  library. 
The  subject  of  conversation  was  plain  preaching.  Our 
host  told  of  a  minister  who  years  before  was  pastor 
of  their  church,  who  had  the  faculty  of  making  every¬ 
one  in  his  audience,  who  was  not  living  aright,  think 
he  was  personal.  He  said  that  one  Sunday  morning  a 
man  arose  in  the  audience  and,  shaking  his  fist  at  the 
preacher,  said,  ‘Til  hold  you,  sir,  to  a  personal  account¬ 
ability  for  exposing  me  in  this  fashion  before  this 
audience!"  Mr.  Moody,  who  was  of  the  company,  then 
related  this  incident:  “As  I  came  out  of  the  inquiry 
room  at  the  close  of  the  meeting  one  night  in  the  great 
depot,  in  Philadelphia,  a  man  approached  me  and  said, 
‘Mr.  Moody,  why  did  you  speak  of  me  as  you  did  be¬ 
fore  that  audience  to-night?'  I  said,  T  do  not  know 
you,  sir,  never  saw  you,  and  how  could  I  single  you 
out  in  an  audience  of  fourteen  thousand  persons.’  He 
replied,  ‘I  know  how  it  is — my  wife  has  been  posting 
you,  and  I'll  make  it  red-hot  for  her  when  I  get 
home.’  ” 

The  late  Charles  Haddon  Spurgeon  was  wonderfully 
skillful  in  wielding  the  sword  of  the  Spirit.  To  this 
fact  more  than  any  other  one  thing,  as  I  think  it,  did 
he  owe  his  extraordinary  success.  He  preached  one 
Saturday  night  on  the  text,  “Be  sure  your  sin  will  find 
you  out."  In  the  elucidation  of  his  text  he  was  led  to 
say:  “Perhaps  there  is  a  man  in  this  assembly  who 
keeps  a  shoe  shop;  and  yesterday  he  sold  a  pair  of 
shoes  for  seven  and  six,  when  they  were  really  worth 
but  seven.  Be  sure,  sir,  your  sin  will  find  you  out.” 
Now  there  was  a  man  in  the  audience  of  whom  that 


HOW  STUDY  THE  BIBLE? 


129 


was  exactly  true.  He  became  greatly  troubled  over  it, 
wondering  how  Mr.  Spurgeon  came  to  know  it.  He 
did  not  sleep  that  night.  The  next  day  Mr.  Spurgeon 
preached  in  the  same  place  upon  the  same  text.  In 
his  sermon  he  said :  “Perhaps  there  is  a  man  in  this 
audience  who  keeps  a  shoe  shop,  which  he  has  left 
open  on  this  the  Sabbath  day,  in  charge  of  his  little 
daughter,  while,  troubled  in  conscience,  he  has  come 
here  and  gone  up  into  the  top  gallery,  and  is  in  a  rear 
seat  behind  a  pillar  out  of  sight  of  the  preacher.  'The 
wicked  flee  when  no  man  pursues.’  Be  sure  your  sin 
will  find  you  out!”  And  the  man  was  in  the  top  gal¬ 
lery,  in  a  rear  pew  behind  a  post.  Upon  hearing  Mr. 
Spurgeon  say  what  he  did  he  rolled  over  the  back  of 
the  seat,  ran  down  the  steps,  two  at  a  jump,  at  the  peril 
of  his  neck,  and  up  the  street  to  his  shop.  Calling  his 
daughter  out,  he  locked  the  door,  and  taking  her  with 
him,  went  back  to  the  meeting,  and  before  it  closed  re¬ 
pented  and  believed.  There  is  nothing  but  the  Bible 
that  can  reveal  a  man  to  himself  as  God  sees  him — that 
can  reach  the  conscience  and,  with  authority  that  may 
not  be  disputed,  command  immediate,  unconditional, 
and  irreversible  surrender.  Coleridge  was  right  when 
he  said,  “The  Bible  finds  me  at  greater  depths  of  my 
being  than  any  other  book.” 

The  Bible  is  also  all-sufficient  to  accomplish  that  for 

which  it  was  given,  i.  e.,  God’s  purposes  in  grace.  In 

the  closing  words  of  the  Bible  it  is  said,  “If  any  man 

shall  add  unto  them  (the  words  of  the  prophecy  of  this 

book),  God  shall  add  unto  him  the  plagues  which  are 

written  in  this  book”  (Rev.  22 :  18).  Of  course,  prima- 
9 


130 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  BIBLE . 


rily  the  book  referred  to  is  Revelation ;  but,  as  it  is 
a  summation  of  all  the  other  books,  the  Bible  is  really 
meant.  In  Luke  16:31  it  is  said,  “If  they  hear  not 
Moses  and  the  prophets,  neither  will  they  be  persuaded, 
if  one  rise  from  the  dead/’  Therefore  the  Scriptures 
are  wholly  sufficient  for  all  purposes  and  ends  to  which 
they  were  appointed.  If  we  would  have  this  fact  over 
in  mind,  when  studying  and  using  them,  what  a  lot  of 
anxiety  and  worry  would  we  be  saved  from,  and  how 
much  happier  and  stronger  we  would  be ! 

The  Second  has  to  do  with  our  personal  relations 
to  it.  Where  should  we  have  the  Bible? 

First.  In  our  hands.  That  is,  we  ought  to  have 
a  copy  of  the  Book,  or  some  portion  of  it,  that  we  can 
carry  about  with  us.  Two  sufficient  reasons  for  this 
are  these :  First,  having  it  with  you,  in  odd  moments — 
and  they  are  to  be  found  in  the  busiest  life — one  can 
gather  a  great  deal  of  knowledge  of  it ;  and,  second, 
be  able  to  use  It  when  necessary.  It  is  the  only  weapon 
given  the  Christian  soldier  with  which  to  fight.  A 
soldier  ought  not  to  be  on  the  firing  line  without  a 
weapon.  Every  soldier  should  be  on  the  firing  line. 

Second.  In  our  hearts.  “These  words,  which  I 
command  thee  this  day,  shall  be  in  thine  heart'1 
(Deut.  6:6).  Two  reasons  for  having  them  there: 
First,  if  there  they  will  save  us — “Receive  with  meek¬ 
ness  the  engrafted  word,  which  is  able  to  save  your 
souls.”  “With  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteous¬ 
ness.  ”  Second,  it  will  keep  us  from  sinning.  The 
Psalmist  said,  “Thy  word  have  I  hid  in  mine  heart, 
that  I  might  not  sin  against  thee.” 


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131 


Third.  In  our  mouths.  The  Lord  said  unto 
Joshua,  ‘‘This  book  of  the  law  shall  not  depart  out  of 
thy  mouth ;  but  thou  shalt  meditate  therein  day  and 
night,  that  thou  mayest  observe  to  do  according  to  all 
that  is  written  therein :  for  then  thou  shalt  make  thy 
way  prosperous,  and  then  thou  shalt  have  good  suc¬ 
cess”  (Josh.  1:8).  That  is,  Joshua’s  prosperity  and 
success  depended  upon  the  Word  of  God  being  in  his 
mouth.  Just  so  is  it  with  Christians.  The  Word  of 
truth  is  given  us  for  soul  growth  and  prosperity,  and 
is  the  only  instrument  with  which  success  can  be 
achieved.  A  sword  rusted  in  the  scabbard  is  of  no 
value  in  time  of  battle.  Hence  “the  sword  of  the 
Spirit”  should  be  in  our  mouths.  Mental  philosophers 
are  agreed  that  nothing  is  ever  absolutely  lost  that  is 
once  lodged  into  the  mind.  But  for  want  of  proper 
mental  discipline  it  may  be  unserviceable  in  emergency. 
All  of  my  readers  have,  without  doubt,  read  and  heard 
read  the  Bible  through  and  through,  again  and  again. 
But  how  few  there  are  who  have  so  put  it  into  their 
mind  that  it  is  in  their  mouths,  to  be  told  out  freely, 
discriminatingly,  and  effectively ! 

The  Third  has  to  do  with  the  relations  the  two 
Testaments  bear  to  each  other.  The  critics  have  cast 
so  much  discredit  upon  the  Old  Testament  that  some 
have  been  led  to  neglect  its  study.  This  is  a  very 
great  mistake,  for  one  can  never  understand  the  New 
Testament  unless  he  begins  its  study  in  the  Old.  He 
must  go  back  among  the  types  and  symbols ;  among 
the  bleeding  victims  and  smoking  altars ;  among  the 
patriarchs,  lawgivers,  and  prophets,  and  come  along 


132 


HIS  RE  LA  TION  TO  THE  BIBLE, 


with  them  in  their  progress  through  the  ages  to  Cal¬ 
vary,  if  we  would  know  aright  what  the  New  Testa¬ 
ment  teaches  about  the  bleeding  Victim  who  hung 
thereon ;  for  the  Old  teaches  the  very  same  lesson  as 
the  New. 

A  critic,  professing  to  be  a  Christian,  once  asked  me, 
“Do  you  believe  those  Old  Testament  stories?”  I  said, 
“Yes!”  “All  of  them?”  I  replied,  “Yes !”  “Even  the 
one  about  Jonah  and  the  fish?”  I  answered,  “Yes!” 
He  then  said,  “I  am  surprised !  for  I  thought  no  intel¬ 
ligent  person  any  longer  believed  that.”  I  then  asked 
him,  “Do  vou  not  believe  the  Old  Testament?”  He  an- 
swered,  “Very  little  of  it:  certainly  not  that  fish  story.” 
“And  you  call  yourself  a  Christian?”  “Yes!”  “Well, 
what  do  you  believe?”  He  made  reply,  “O,  I  believe 
the  New  Testament  and  the  teachings  of  Christ.”  I 
said  to  him,  “No,  sir,  you  do  not;  for  if  you  did  you 
would  believe  that  ‘fish  story;’  for  in  Matthew  12:40 
— and  that  is  in  the  New  Testament — it  is  declared 
that  Jesus  said,  'For  as  Jonah  was  three  days  and  three 
nights  in  the  belly  of  the  sea  monster ;  so  shall  the  Son 
of  man  be  three  days  and  three  nights  in  the  heart  of 
the  earth.’  Therefore,  no  one  can  truthfully  say,  T 
believe  the  New  Testament  and  the  teaching  of  Jesus,’ 
and  yet  disbelieve  that  'fish  story.’  ”  And  what  is 
true  in  this  instance  is  also  true  of  almost  every  other 
Old  Testament  story  or  fact.  God  seems  to  have  an¬ 
ticipated  every  objection  that  the  critics  and  skeptics 
would  raise  against  the  Old  Testament  record,  and 
made  it  impossible  for  them  to  truthfully  say,  “I  be¬ 
lieve  the  New  Testament  record  and  the  teachings  of 


HOW  STUDY  THE  BIBLE? 


133 


Jesus/’  the  while  they  discredit  the  Old  Testament 
record.  Consider  a  few  additional  conspicuous  ex¬ 
amples:  Creation  of  man,  Matt.  19:4-6;  tempta¬ 
tion  of  Eve,  2  Cor.  11:3;  Noah  and  the  flood, 
Matt.  24:37;  translation  of  Enoch,  Heb.  11:5; 
destruction  of  Sodom,  Luke  17:26;  Abraham  as  an 
historical  personage,  John  8:39,  40;  birth  of  Isaac, 
Heb.  1 1 :  1 1 ;  crossing  the  Red  Sea,  Heb.  11:29;  giv- 
ing  the  manna,  John  6:31;  Balaam’s  ass  speaking, 
2  Pet.  2:15;  Moses’  serpent,  John  3:14;  and  Elijah 
shutting  up  and  opening  heaven,  James  5:17.  Augus¬ 
tine  stated  it  correctly  when  he  said,  “Novum  Testa - 
mentum  in  Vetera  latet ,  Vetus  in  Novo  patet ” — that  is 
to  say,  The  New  lies  hidden  in  the  Old,  and  the  Old 
is  unfolded  in  the  New.  They  together  constitute  one 
harmonious  whole;  and  what  “God  has  joined  together 
let  no  man  part  asunder.”  Therefore  never  neglect 
the  study  of  the  Old  Testament. 

The  Fourth  has  to  do  with  some  incidental  things 
by  way  of  exhortation.  First,  “As  newborn  babes  de¬ 
sire  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  that  ye  may  grow 
thereby”  (1  Pet.  2:2).  “Being  born  ...  of  the  in¬ 
corruptible  .  .  .  word  of  God  which  liveth  and  abideth 
forever,”  it  is  the  business  of  the  pastor  to  feed  such 
with  “the  sincere  milk  of  the  word.”  Paul  in  writing 
to  the  Corinthians  referring  to  their  babyhood  days 
said :  “I  fed  you  with  milk,  not  with  meat ;  for  ye  were 
not  able  to  bear  it.”  Something  must  be  radically 
wrong  with  a  believer  if  he  is  not  soon  able  to  feed 
himself.  He  has  a  Bible.  The  Holy  Spirit,  the  Great 
Teacher,  is  sent  to  guide  us  into  all  truth.  Do  not  be 


134 


HIS  DELATION  TO  THE  BIBLE. 


a  baby  always.  Learn  to  feed  yourself.  The  secret  of 
the  success  of  the  Reformation,  humanly  speaking,  lay 
not  so  much  in  the  ringing  war  cry  of  justification  by 
faith  as  in  the  fact  that  Luther  unchained  the  Bible  and 
gave  it  to  the  common  people.  It  is  safe  in  their  keep¬ 
ing.  Heresies  never  originated  with  the  lay  membership 
of  the  Church.  All  heresies  that  have  disturbed  the 
peace  of  the  Church  and  crippled  it  have  been  promul¬ 
gated  by  the  clergy.  The  Church  is  a  bigger  thing  than 
its  ministers.  To  its  custody  has  been  committed  the 
Bible;  and  since  the  “gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail 
against"  the  Church,  why,  of  course,  “the  word  of  the 
Lord  endureth  forever."  No  one  ever  learned  her¬ 
esies  from  the  Bible,  but  from  “blind  leaders  of  the 
blind."  So,  instead  of  believing  what  anyone  shall 
say  about  the  Bible,  under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  “examine  the  Scriptures  daily,  whether  these 
things  are  so.”  “Prove  all  things  (by  the  Scriptures)  : 
hold  fast  that  which  is  good."  “For  we  can  do  noth¬ 
ing  against  the  truth,  but  for  the  truth.”  If  only  the 
private  members  of  the  Church  would  study  their 
Bibles  the  promulgators  of  heretical  things  would  soon 
be  called  to  an  account,  and  their  occupation  would 
soon  be  gone.  The  importance,  therefore,  of  personal 
Bible  study  cannot  be  overstated,  since  the  believer's 
own  spiritual  growth,  as  well  as  the  peace  and  pros¬ 
perity  of  the  Church,  are  conditioned  upon  it. 

Second.  “And  thou  shalt  teach  them  diligently 
to  thy  children,  and  shalt  talk  of  them  when  thou  sit- 
test  in  thy  house,  and  when  thou  walkest  by  the  way, 
and  when  thou  best  down,  and  when  thou  risest  up" 


HO  IV  STUDY  THE  BIBLE? 


135 


(Deut.  6:7).  How  seldom  is  the  Word  of  God  a  sub¬ 
ject  of  conversation  in  the  domestic  circle!  In  how 
few  homes  is  the  Word  of  God  diligently  taught  the 
children  by  the  father.  The  family  is  an  older  institu¬ 
tion  than  the  Church.  By  divine  command  the  head  of 
the  household  is  the  priest.  If  father  neglects  his  God- 
appointed  duties  here,  by  no  possible  means  can  the 
Church  or  Sunday  school  make  it  up.  The  chief  rea¬ 
son  why  the  children  of  Church  members  are  in  these 
days  so  difficult  to  reach  and  win  to  Christ  is,  that 
there  is  so  little  home  instruction  in  the  Bible.  Fa¬ 
ther  has  not  the  time,  or  thinks  he  has  not.  It  may  be 
he  is  afraid  to  attempt  it  for  fear  of  exposing  his  ig¬ 
norance.  And  so  the  children  are  not  instructed  as 
they  should  be.  But  this  is  not  the  worst  of  it.  If 
father  and  mother  really  believed  the  Bible  they  would 
study  it  more  and  talk  about  it  occasionally.  Because 
of  this  the  children  are  led  to  think  that  the  Bible  is 
not  what  Christians  claim  it  is ;  all  of  which  makes 
the  preacher’s  and  teacher’s  task  the  more  difficult. 
Let  us  study  the  Book  so  well  that  our  minds  shall  be¬ 
come  saturated  with  its  very  words,  and  our  hearts 
become  so  overflowing  full  of  them  that  we  will  want 
to  talk  of  them — that  we  cannot  help  talking  of  them. 

Third.  These  are  “perilous  times/'  The  attacks 
made  upon  the  integrity  and  authority  of  the  Bible  in 
former  times  were  by  men  outside  the  church  and 
known  as  the  enemies  of  Jesus  Christ.  Now  the  same 
things  are  urged  against  the  Word  of  God  by  men  in 
orthodox  pulpits,  in  the  editorial  chairs  of  Church 
papers  and  the  class  rooms  of  the  Church’s  educational 


136 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  BIBLE. 


institutions.  Many  of  the  very  men  who  are  supposed 
to  be  set  for  the  defense  of  the  Bible  are  its  worst  en¬ 
emies  and  showing  the  most  zeal  for  its  destruction. 
That  is,  the  Bible's  most  aggressive  enemies  are  no 
longer  outside,  but  inside  the  citadel.  There  is  abso¬ 
lutely  nothing  new  urged  against  the  old  Book.  Every 
objection  urged  against  the  integrity  of  the  Bible  by 
the  modern  critic  can  be  found  in  the  writings  of  Vol¬ 
taire  and  Paine.  It  is  the  same  old  fight,  though  the 
plan  of  the  battle  has  changed,  owing  to  the  fact  that 
there  are  traitors  in  the  camp.  But  every  bit  of  trust¬ 
worthy  information  bearing  on  the  subject,  possessed 
by  the  Church  at  the  present  time,  that  was  unknown 
fifty  years  ago,  is  in  favor  of  the  traditional  views. 
There  is  no  occasion  for  alarm,  for  “the  word  of  the 
Lord  endureth  forever;"  but  there  is  abundant  need  of 
alertness  and  courage.  We  are  warned  that  “There 
shall  be  false  teachers,  who  shall  privily  bring  in  de¬ 
structive  heresies,  denying  even  the  Master  that  bought 
them,  bringing  upon  themselves  swift  destruction.  And 
many  shall  follow  their  lascivious  doings ;  by  reason  of 
whom  the  truth  shall  be  evil  spoken  of’ (2  Pet.  2:1,2). 
Paul  said,  “I  know  that  after  my  departure  grievous 
wolves  shall  enter  in  among  you,  not  sparing  the  flock ; 
and  from  among  your  own  selves  shall  men  arise, 
speaking  perverse  things,  to  draw  away  disciples  after 
them.  Wherefore  watch  ye  !’’  (Acts  20 :  29-31.)  Be¬ 
lievers  were  exhorted  to  “be  no  longer  children,  tossed 
to  and  fro  and  carried  about  with  every  wind  of  doc¬ 
trine,  by  the  sleight  of  men,  in  craftiness,  after  the 
wiles  of  error"  (Eph.  4:  14)  ;  and  to  “contend  earnestly 


THE  BIBLE  INFALLIBLE. 


1 37 


for  the  faith  which  was  once  for  all  delivered  unto  the 
saints”  (Jude  3)  ;  and  also,  to  “reprove  them  sharply, 
that  they  may  be  sound  in  the  faith'’  (Titus  1:  13). 
These  exhortations  should  be  heeded  by  believers  in 
these  days.  They  never  were  so  timely  as  now.  May 
God  help  us  to  be  uncompromisingly  loyal  to  our 
standard ! 

Fourth.  Always  remember  that  the  Bible  is  the 
only  infallible  rule  of  faith  and  action.  The  things  of 
time  and  sense  are  constantly  changing.  Men's  views 
are  changing  ever ;  creeds  and  beliefs  are  changing. 
The  disquietude  and  unrest  of  the  times  are  born  of 
the  agnosticism  and  uncertainties  that  are  so  widely 
prevalent.  The  more  science  and  learning  advance, 
the  more  general  become  doubt  and  skepticism  as  to 
the  supernatural,  and  concerning  eternal  verities.  The 
man  who  believes  the  Bible  is  the  Word  of  God  can  be 
calm  and  confident  in  all  times  and  under  all  circum¬ 
stances,  because  he  can  say  with  the  Psalmist,  “For¬ 
ever,  O  Lord,  thy  word  is  settled  in  heaven;”  and, 
making  it  “the  man  of  his  counsel”  and  “the  guide  of 
his  steps,”  can  be  supremely  serene,  no  matter  how 
furiously  the  storm  may  rage,  the  while  he  journeys 
onward.  It  is  therefore  of  the  utmost  importance  that 
the  convert  should  become  acquainted  and  familiar 
with  the  Bible  as  soon  as  possible.  Amen  !  and  Amen ! 


138  HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  WORLD. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

The  Convert's  Relation  to  the  World* 

“  We  know  that  we  are  of  God,  and  the  whole  world  lieth  in  the  evil 
one.” — i  John  5  :  19. 

We  understand  by  the  term  “world”  that  it  signi¬ 
fies  the  mind,  desires,  and  ambitions  belonging  the 
natural  man  as  he  stands  related  to  this  earthly  life. 
In  1  John  2:15-17  it  is  said,  “Love  not  the  world, 
neither  the  things  that  are  in  the  world.  If  any 
man  love  the  world,  the  love  of  the  Father  is  not 
in  him.  For  all  that  is  in  the  world,  the  lust  of 
the  flesh  (those  things  we  lust  after  according  to  the 
laws  of  our  carnal  natures),  and  the  lust  of  the  eyes 
(desires  for  wealth  and  earthly  honors),  and  the  vain¬ 
glory  of  life  (my  home  is  the  finest  in  the  city,  or  is 
furnished  more  tastefully  and  elegantly ;  my  horse  is 
the  fastest  on  the  driveway;  or  my  bonnet  was  the 
most  stylish  at  church  on  Easter  morning),  is  not 
of  the  Father,  but  is  of  the  world.  And  the  world 
passeth  away,  and  the  lust  thereof :  but  he  that  doeth 
the  will  of  God  abideth  forever.”  Christ  and  Satan 
are  arrayed  against  each  other  in  a  contest  to  the 
finish.  Righteousness  and  sin  can  never  be  harmo¬ 
nized.  The  Church  and  the  world  are  as  antipodal  as 
the  poles.  There  is  no  middle  ground  where  a  man 
can  be  neither  saint  nor  sinner,  or  can  be  a  “child  of 
God“  one  day  and  a  “child  of  the  devil”  the  next. 
Jesus  said,  “No  man  can  serve  two  masters;  for  either 


UNEQUAL  YOKING. 


139 


he  will  hate  the  one,  and  love  the  other ;  or  else  he  will 
hold  to  one,  and  despise  the  other ;”  and,  “He  that 
is  not  with  me  is  against  me;  and  he  that  gathereth 
not  with  me  scattereth.”  Paul  puts  the  whole  case 
thus :  “Be  not  unequally  yoked  with  unbelievers :  for 
what  fellowship  have  righteousness  and  iniquity?  or 
what  communion  hath  light  with  darkness?  and  what 
concord  hath  Christ  with  Belial  ?  or  what  portion  hath 
a  believer  with  an  unbeliever?  And  what  agreement 
hath  a  temple  of  God  with  idols?  for  we  are  a  temple 
of  the  living  God ;  even  as  God  said,  I  will  dwell  in 
them,  and  walk  in  them ;  and  I  will  be  their  God,  and 
they  shall  be  my  people.  Wherefore  come  ye  out  from 
among  them,  and  be  ye  separate,  saith  the  Lord,  and 
touch  no  unclean  thing;  and  I  will  receive  you,  and 
will  be  to  you  a  Father,  and  ye  shall  be  my  sons  and 
daughters,  saith  the  Lord  Almighty”  (2  Cor.  6:14- 
18).  This  is  the  old  law  of  separation  referred  to  by 
Moses  in  Exod.  33:16,  promulgated  to  the  Church, 
and  thereby  made  binding  upon  the  conscience  and 
lives  of  believers. 

I  believe  that  a  Christian  man  who  is  married  to  an 
unchristian  woman  is  unequally  yoked  with  an  un¬ 
believer.  In  the  old  law  this  was  expressly  forbidden ; 
and  whenever  the  Jew  transgressed  that  law,  by  mar¬ 
rying  among  the  surrounding  nations,  he  got  into 
bondage  and  lapsed  into  idolatry.  But  if  a  Christian 
man  is  married  to  an  unbelieving  wife,  the  Lord  gives 
commandment,  “that  the  husband  leave  not  his  wife 
and  then  Paul  adds,  “But  to  the  rest  say  I,  not  the 
Lord :  If  any  brother  hath  an  unbelieving  wife,  and  she 


140 


HIS  ABLATION  TO  THE  WORLD . 


is  content  to  dwell  with  him,  let  him  not  leave  her 
.  .  .  and  the  unbelieving  wife  is  sanctified  in  the  broth¬ 
er  :  else  were  your  children  unclean ;  but  now  are  they 
holy”  (i  Cor.  7:  10-14).  But  we  are  not  at  liberty  to 
break  the  law  because  of  what  Paul  says  in  the  case, 
or  even  because  of  any  special,  gracious  dispensation 
granted  by  the  merciful  Lord. 

I  believe  that  a  Christian  man  who  is  in  partnership 
with  unchristian  men  in  any  business  or  enterprise, 
and  his  partners  own  the  controlling  interest  in  that 
business  or  enterprise,  is  “unequally  yoked  with  unbe¬ 
lievers.”  Suppose,  for  instance,  they  are  engaged  in 
publishing  a  newspaper.  It  is  a  legitimate  business, 
and  it  is  quite  right  for  a  Christian  man  to  engage  in 
it,  but  his  partners  decide  to  issue  a  Sunday  edition, 
which  is  a  violation  of  the  law  of  God  and  the  laws  of 
almost  every  State  in  the  Union ;  and  he  becomes 
thereby  particeps  criminis  to  whatever  of  criminality 
attaches  to  such  violation  of  the  laws  of  God  and  the 
land.  As  a  Christian  man  he  has  been  compromised 
before  the  world.  He  has  no  moral  right  to  allow 
such  a  thing  to  be  possible ;  as  he  certainly  has  no 
right  to  be  engaged  in  any  business  undertakings,  or 
have  any  financial  investments  upon  which  he  cannot 
ask  the  blessing  of  God. 

I  believe  that  a  Christian  who  dances,  plays  cards, 
and  goes  to  the  theater  is  “unequally  yoked  with  unbe¬ 
lievers."  As  I  intend  to  discuss  the  question  of  world¬ 
ly  amusements,  somewhat  at  length,  in  the  next  chap¬ 
ter,  I  will  not  dwell  upon  the  matter  now  and  here. 

I  believe  a  man  may  become  “unequally  yoked  with 


CONVERT  UNCOMPROMISING. 


141 

unbelievers/’  by  becoming  a  member  of  any  one  of  the 
world’s  clubs  or  secret  societies.  Let  me  give  a  case. 
I  was  once  a  member  of  a  certain  world-wide,  popular, 
and  influential  order.  One  night  in  a  meeting  of  the 
lodge,  the  question  of  how  we  should  celebrate  the 
approaching  anniversary  of  the  lodge  was  considered. 
It  was  moved  that  we  have  a  banquet,  with  champagne, 
and  conclude  with  a  dance.  1  objected,  urging  as  my 
reasons  for  doing  so,  that  objects,  for  the  promotion 
of  which  the  order  was  instituted,  were  not  furthered 
by  such  business ;  and,  being  a  Christian,  I  could  have 
no  part  whatever  in  the  thing  proposed.  They  disre¬ 
garded  my  protests  and  voted  to  have  the  champagne 
and  dance.  Immediately  I  arose  and  said,  “Loyalty 
to  God  and  my  Church  compels  me  as  a  Christian  man 
to  say,  I  will  not  allow  any  man  or  set  of  men  to  com¬ 
promise  me  before  the  world.  Will  you,  therefore, 
please  erase  my  name  from  your  rolls?”  I  then  im¬ 
mediately  left  the  room  never  to  return.  These  socie¬ 
ties  may  have  a  very  noble  and  worthy  object;  but 
there  is  danger  of  a  Christian,  who  is  a  member,  being 
compromised  before  the  world.  Hence  the  need  of 
caution.  I  will  also  say  no  Christian  man  has  a  moral 
right  to  give  to  these  societies  time,  money,  and  thought 
needed  by  the  Church.  Also,  there  is  not  one  single 
worthy  object  of  any  or  all  of  these  societies  that  can¬ 
not  be  better  promoted  by  the  Church,  if  it  follows  the 
instructions  given  in  the  New  Testament.  The  Church 
is  the  best  social  and  benevolent  organization  on  earth. 

But  it  may  and  will  possibly  be  urged  by  some  that 
if  we  separate  ourselves  from  all  these  things  we  will 


142 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  WORLD . 


become  ascetic.  But  this  does  not  at  all  follow.  Of 
course,  if  we  are  loyal  to  Jesus  Christ  we  will  be  mis¬ 
understood.  He  was  misunderstood  and  misrepre¬ 
sented,  and  He  said,  “If  they  have  called  the  master 
of  the  house  Beelzebub,  how  much  more  shall  they  call 
them  of  his  household.”  “The  mind  of  the  flesh  is 
enmity  against  God ;  for  it  is  not  subject  to  the  law  of 
God,  neither  indeed  can  it  be.”  Hence  unchristian  per¬ 
sons  are  said  to  be  “alienated  and  enemies  in  your 
(their)  mind  in  your  (their)  evil  works’’  (Col.  1 \2 1). 
Therefore  is  it  said,  “Ye  adulteresses,  know  ye  not 
that  the  friendship  of  the  world  is  enmity  with 
God?  Whosoever  therefore  would  be  a  friend  of 
the  world  maketh  himself  an  enemy  of  God”  (James 
4:4).  It  is  thus  seen  that  we  have  no  option  in 
the  matter.  Jesus  was  “separate  from  sinners.” 
We  must  follow  and  obey  him,  no  matter  what 
the  world  says  or  thinks — must  be  right  at  any  cost; 
“For  we  have  not  here  an  abiding  city,  but  we 
seek  after  the  city  which  is  to  come:”  we  are  “so¬ 
journers  and  pilgrims” — “strangers  and  pilgrims  on 
the  earth,”  for  “our  citizenship  is  in  heaven.”  The 
world  demands  as  a  condition  of  companionship  and 
patronage  that  the  believer  shall  conform  to  its  rules 
and  customs.  This  the  believer  can  never  do  without 
dishonoring  God  and  jeopardizing  his  deathless  inter¬ 
ests.  There  should  be  no  temporizing  or  compromis¬ 
ing.  We  must  “go  forth  unto  him  without  the  camp, 
bearing  his  reproach,”  if  we  would  have  “the  liberty 
wherewith  Christ  hath  made  us  free,”  and  win  “the 
crown  of  glory;”  for  it  is  written,  “If  we  endure,  we 


THE  GREATEST  MAN, 


M3 


shall  also  reign  with  him"  (2  Tim.  2:  12)  ;  “If  so  be 
that  we  suffer  with  him,  that  we  may  be  also  glorified 
with  him"  (Rom.  8:  17). 

The  greatest  man,  humanly  speaking,  the  world  ever 
saw,  was  ‘'Moses  the  man  of  God."  Of  course  he  had 
all  the  elements  of  greatness :  so  also  many  other  men ; 
but  none  ever  attained  to  the  distinction  of  Moses. 
The  real  secret  of  his  greatness  was  that  he  was  a 
man  of  God — God’s  man.  He  was  a  striking  illustra¬ 
tion  of  the  teaching  of  the  Master,  when  He  said, 
“He  that  loseth  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it;"  for 
he  chose  "rather  to  be  evil  entreated  with  the  people 
of  God,  than  to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  sin  for  a  season ; 
accounting  the  reproach  of  Christ  greater  riches  than 
the  treasures  of  Egypt :  for  he  looked  unto  the  recom¬ 
pense  of  reward.  By  faith  he  forsook  Egypt,  not  fear¬ 
ing  the  wrath  of  the  king:  for  he  endured  as  seeing 
him  who  is  invisible”  (Heb.  xi:  25-27). 

When  God  saw  the  affliction  of  His  chosen  people 
He  resolved  to  deliver  them.  He  acquainted  Moses 
with  His  purpose  and  made  known  to  him  His  plans. 
"And  afterward  Moses  and  Aaron  went  in  and  told 
Pharaoh,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  Let  my 
people  go,  that  they  may  hold  a  feast  unto  me  in  the 
wilderness.  And  Pharaoh  said,  Who  is  the  Lord,  that 
I  should  obey  his  voice  to  let  Israel  go?  I  know  not 
the  Lord,  neither  will  I  let  Israel  go.  And  they  said, 
The  God  of  the  Hebrews  hath  met  us :  let  us  go,  we 
pray  thee,  three  days’  journey  into  the  desert,  and  sac¬ 
rifice  unto  the  Lord  our  God ;  lest  he  fall  upon  us  with 
pestilence,  or  with  the  sword.  And  the  king  of  Egypt 


144 


HIS  ABLATION  TO  THE  WORLD . 


said  unto  them,  Wherefore  do  ye,  Moses  and  Aaron, 
let  the  people  from  their  works?  get  you  unto  your 
burdens"  (Exod.  5:  1-4).  In  order  to  bring  Pharaoh 
to  terms  God  sent  the  plagues  of  frogs  and  of  flies 
upon  the  land ;  and  in  the  great  distress  consequent 
“Pharaoh  called  for  Moses  and  for  Aaron,  and  said, 
Go  ye  sacrifice  to  your  God  in  the  land.  And  Moses 
said,  It  is  not  meet  so  to  do ;  for  we  shall  sacrifice  the 
abominations  of  the  Egyptians  to  the  Lord  our  God : 
lo,  shall  we  sacrifice  the  abomination  of  the  Egyp¬ 
tians  before  their  eyes,  and  will  they  not  stone  us? 
We  will  go  three  days’  journey  into  the  wilderness, 
and  sacrifice  to  the  Lord  our  God  as  he  shall  command 
us.  And  Pharaoh  said,  I  will  let  you  go,  that  ye  may 
sacrifice  to  the  Lord  your  God  in  the  wilderness ;  only 
ye  shall  not  go  very  far  away” (Exod.  8:  25-28).  That 
is,  Pharaoh  was  willing  they  should  sacrifice  to  their 
God  in  the  land ;  or  was  even  willing  they  should  go  a 

little  way  into  the  desert  to  do  this  thing,  if  only  the 

* 

plagues  could  thereby  be  stayed ;  for  he  knew  well 
enough  that  if  they  stopped  short  of  doing  what  God 
commanded,  they  would  soon  be  back.  But  Moses  in¬ 
sisted  that  they  must  do  exactly  as  God  had  com¬ 
manded.  The  king  being  as  yet  unwilling  to  grant 
this,  these  servants  of  Jehovah  were  dismissed  from 
his  presence.  Alas,  how  many  there  are  who  though 
desiring  to  be  the  Lord’s  are  yet  unwilling  to  be 
wholly  His ;  and  in  order  to  quiet  their  troubled  con¬ 
sciences’  sacrifice  in  the  land,  or  go  not  very  far  away. 
These  people  are  soon  back  in  the  house  of  bondage. 

God  then  sent  the  plagues  of  murrain  of  beasts,  and 


LOYALTY  TO  GOD . 


145 


hail,  thunder,  and  fire  upon  Egypt,  “And  Pharaoh’s 
servants  said  unto  him.  How  long  shall  this  man 
(Moses)  be  a  snare  unto  us?  let  the  men  go,  that  they 
may  serve  the  Lord  their  God.  .  .  .  And  Moses  said, 
We  will  go  with  our  young  and  with  our  old,  with  our 
sons  and  with  our  daughters,  with  our  flocks  and  with 
our  herds  will  we  go :  for  we  must  hold  a  feast  unto 
the  Lord”  (Exod.  10:7,  9).  Pharaoh  and  his  serv¬ 
ants  knew  that  if  they  left  their  children  in  the  house  of 
bondage,  though  they  should  go  the  three  days’  jour¬ 
ney  into  the  desert,  yet  before  many  days  they  would 
be  back.  More  than  once  have  I  known  parents  to 
give  themselves  wholly  unto  the  Lord,  but  not  their 
children;  going  the  three  days’  journey  themselves, 
but  leaving  their  children  in  the  house  of  bondage ;  and 
not  long  afterward  the  parents  were  again  “making 
bricks  without  straw.” 

I  have  two  dear  friends — friends  of  many  years ; 
cultured,  wealthy,  elegant  people.  They  gave  them¬ 
selves  entirely  to  the  Lord.  They  had  two  daughters. 
They  grew  to  be  beautiful  young  women.  The  mother 
thought  they  must  move  in  what  is  called — by  the  world 
— “first  society”  (of  course  the  world’s  first  society  is 
not  first  society.  The  first  society  is  the  society  of 
Jesus).  If  they  did  that,  they  must  do  as  the  world’s 
first  society  does ;  and  the  dancing  master  was  brought 
into  that  home,  and  those  young  women  were  fitted 
for  moving  among  the  world’s  follies,  fads,  and  fash¬ 
ions — put  there  by  their  mother,  when  they  should 
have  been  reared  for  God  and  heaven.  I  at  one  time, 

nearly  a  score  of  years  ago,  conducted  an  evangelistic 

10 


146  HIS  DELATION  TO  THE  WOE  LB. 


campaign  in  the  very  church  with  which  those  parents 
were  connected.  One  night,  while  preaching,  I  noticed 
their  two  daughters  in  the  audience.  They  wept  freely 
during  the  sermon.  In  the  second  meeting  I  went  to 
them,  I  had  knowrn  them  from  their  babyhood.  I 
asked,  “Young  ladies,  will  you  not  take  Jesus  to  be 
your  Saviour  and  Lord !”  The  tears  ran  fast  over 
their  cheeks.  Addressing  one  of  them  by  name,  I 
again  asked,  “Will  you  not?”  She  bit  her  lip  until  the 
blood  fairly  started,  and  brushing  her  tears  aside,  she 
said,  “No !  we  should  have  to  leave  society  if  we  did, 
and  we  cannot  do  that.’'  They  went  out  from  that 
meeting  rejecting  Jesus  and  refusing  the  life  eternal; 
and  to  this  day,  so  far  as  I  know,  are  wedded  to  the 
world.  If  at  last  they  are  lost,  their  dear  mother  is 
responsible  for  it.  Instead  of  remembering  that  those 
daughters  belonged  to  God — were  children  of  the  cov¬ 
enant  (Acts  2:39),  and  were  therefore  entrusted  to 
her  to  rear  them  for  God  and  heaven,  she  reared  them 
for  the  world,  and  placed  them,  herself,  in  the  most 
unchristlike  company  that  can  anywhere  be  found — 
the  world's  fashionable  society.  Five  years  after  the 
meeting  in  which  those  young  women  thus  turned  their 
backs  on  the  merciful  Saviour,  I  read,  in  a  daily  news¬ 
paper  published  in  the  city  where  they  reside,  an  ac¬ 
count  of  a  “Great  Military  Ball,”  given  in  one  of  the 
armories  of  the  city,  the  night  before ;  and  among  the 
nearly  half  a  thousand  distinguished  patrons  and 
patronesses  whose  names  were  published  were  the 
names  of  these  parents :  they  themselves  were  again  in 
the  “house  of  bondage.” 


COURAGE  OF  CONVICTIONS . 


H7 


Pharaoh's  heart  being  still  unrelenting,  God  sent  the 
plagues  of  locusts  and  darkness.  “And  Pharaoh  called 
unto  Moses,  and  said,  Go  ye,  serve  the  Lord ;  only  let 
your  flocks  and  your  herds  be  stayed :  let  your  little 
ones  also  go  with  you.  And  Moses  said  .  .  .  Our 
cattle  also  shall  go  with  us :  there  shall  not  an  hoof  be 
left  behind !”  (Exod.  10 :  24,  26.)  The  situation  is  ex¬ 
ceedingly  dramatic.  Pharaoh  was  an  absolute  monarch. 
Were  he  to  say  so,  the  heads  of  these  heroic  brothers 
would  instantly  roll  at  their  feet.  Were  he  to  give 
the  word  Moses  would  have  been  exalted  to  the 
position  of  second  in  authority  in  the  kingdom,  as  a 
former  Hebrew  slave  had  been,  by  another  Pharaoh. 
Along  comes  Mr.  Expedient,  who  is  evermore  trim¬ 
ming  and  afraid  to  call  his  soul  his  own,  and  I  hear 
him  say,  “Now,  Moses,  it  is  a  wonder  that  Pharaoh 
has  not  had  your  head  off  before  this :  you  have  crossed 
and  blocked  him  so  often.  It  is  quite  remarkable  that 
he  has  made  any  concession  to  you  at  all.  Now  that  he 
concedes  to  you  everything  save  that  you  leave  your 
flocks  and  your  herds,  and  they  are  hardly  worth  tak¬ 
ing  with  you,  for  you  are  nothing  but  slaves  and  as 
poor  as  poverty,  why  not  yield  this  point?  he  will  re¬ 
ward  you  and  you  will  lose  nothing ;  but  if  you  persist 
in  your  unyielding  course  he  will  have  your  head 
taken  off.  Now,  don't  be  dogmatic!  be  reasonable!” 
But  Moses  knew  what  God  had  commanded.  Pie  had 
conscience  and  the  courage  of  his  conviction ;  and  hav¬ 
ing  God  on  his  side,  he  had  no  cause  for  fear.  What 
wonder  then  he  said  the  most  magnificent  thing  that 
ever  fell  from  human  lips :  “There  shall  not  an  hoof  be 


148  HIS  DELATION  TO  THE  WORLD . 


left  behind  !”  No  wonder  he  stands  out  upon  the  pages 
of  history  so  conspicuously. 

One  day  I  stood  upon  the  summit  of  the  Cheops 
pyramid,  the  largest  of  the  Ghizeh  group.  From  that 
lookout  I  counted  fifty-six  other  pyramids.  It  is 
pretty  certain  that  these  pyramids  are  monuments  to 
the  kings  of  Egypt.  But  what  kings?  Who  were 
they?  The  Egyptologists  can  give  us  but  little  light 
or  information  concerning  them.  While  thinking  upon 
the  matter  I  heard  our  Bedouin  guide  call  to  one  of  the 
camel  boys,  “Moses!  Moses!”  And  I  said,  “Who  was 
Moses?  Once  a  slave  in  this  very  land;  who  did  not 
fear  the  wrath  of  the  king,  in  doing  what  God  com¬ 
manded,  and  would  not  by  a  hair’s  breadth  deviate 
from  the  course  of  duty.  He  identified  himself  with 
God’s  oppressed,  despised,  and  poverty-stricken  peo¬ 
ple;  going  out  into  the  wilderness  to  wander  all  his 
days,  when  he  might  have  enjoyed  the  pleasures  and 
splendors  of  the  most  glorious  earthly  court,  because 
God  commanded  it.  No  pyramid  was  ever  built  to 
perpetuate  his  name  and  memory !  His  praises  were 
never  chanted  along  the  corridors  of  stately  temples. 
But  he  lives !  even  while  the  great  Pharaoh  whom,  in 
the  name  of  the  living  God,  he  defied,  is  forgotten.  It 
is  always  wise  and  safe  to  implicitly  and  uncompro¬ 
misingly  obey  God.” 

Pharaoh  knew  well  enough  that  if  the  Hebrews  left 
their  flocks  and  herds,  even  though  they  were  few  and 
of  little  worth,  they  would  be  soon  returning,  as  indeed 
they  would.  Just  so  with  the  believer  who  rents  his 
property  for  a  saloon  or  other  base  purpose ;  or  makes 


NO  COMPROMISE. 


149 


investments  upon  which  he  cannot  ask  the  blessing  of 
God ;  he  will  soon  be  back  in  the  house  of  bondage ;  it 
is  inevitable.  God  demands  of  us  whole-hearted  and 
irreversible  surrender.  Anything  less  is  dishonorable 
on  our  part,  since  He  gave  Himself  without  reserve 
to  the  work  of  ransoming  us,  and  is  fraught  with  peril 
to  us.  There  can  be  no  real  peace  or  liberty  for  any 
man  who  compromises.  The  leanness  and  weakness 
everywhere  apparent  in  the  churches  to-day  is  largely 
chargeable  to  temporizing.  Fear  of  the  world’s  opin¬ 
ions  ;  of  being  considered  peculiar.  Courting  the 
world’s  favors  and  lusting  after  its  pleasures,  honors, 
and  wealth ;  and  bondage  is  inevitable.  I  like  the 
spirit  of  the  man  who,  when  about  to  be  baptized  in  a 
creek,  out  in  the  country,  said,  as  the  pastor  and  he 
stood  at  the  edge  of  the  water,  and  the  pastor  asked 
him,  “Have  you  anything  in  your  pocket  that  will  get 
wet  ?”  “I  have  a  pocketbook,  but  I  want  that  baptized 
too!” 

“I  beseech  you  therefore,  brethren,  by  the  mercies 
of  God,  to  present  your  bodies  a  living  sacrifice,  holy, 
acceptable  to  God,  which  is  your  reasonable  service. 
And  be  not  fashioned  according  to  this  world :  but  be 
ye  transformed  by  the  renewing  of  your  mind,  that  ye 
may  prove  what  is  the  good  and  acceptable  and  perfect 
will  of  God”  (Rom.  12  :  1,2).  Amen !  and  Amen ! ! 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  WORLD . 


150 


CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Convert's  Relation  to  the  World* — ( Continued ♦) 

“And  be  not  fashioned  according  to  this  world.” — Rom.  12:  2. 

The  subject  of  pastimes  and  amusements  demands 
careful  consideration.  There  probably  never  was  a 
time  when  dancing,  card  playing,  and  theater  going 
were  so  generally  indulged  in  as  now.  The  world, 
with  brazen  effrontery,  has  intruded  itself  into  the 
Church  of  God  and  defiled  her  very  altars ;  and  im¬ 
peratively  demands  of  the  children  of  God  conformity 
to  her  customs  and  laws  as  a  condition  to  her  favors 

and  patronage.  Alas !  that  so  many  in  the  Church 

$ 

have  not  the  courage  to  resist  these  demands.  Doubt¬ 
less  some  yield  to  these  demands  because  of  ignorance 
of  what  God  requires  of  them,  having  never  prayerfully 
studied  the  Bible  to  ascertain  what  is  the  law  of  the 
Christian's  conduct. 

No  man  stands  more  uncompromisingly  for  the 
rights  of  the  individual  conscience  than  I.  No  man  or 
company  of  men  shall  ever  be  allowed  to  stand  between 
God  and  myself  as  regards  the  law  of  conduct.  I  am 
answerable  to  God  alone  for  what  I  do  and  how  I  live. 
If  I  wish  to  indulge  myself  in  worldly  amusements 
and  pastimes,  I  will  do  so,  and  it  is  nobody's  business 
but  my  own.  What  I  here  insist  upon  as  my  inalien¬ 
able  right  I  most  respectfully  concede  to  every  other 
person.  But  as  Christians  we  are  not  laws  unto  our¬ 
selves :  we  are  under  obedience  to  “the  law  of  the 


RULE  OF  CONDUCT . 


151 

Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus.”  The  Bible  must  be  the 
law  of  our  conscience,  of  our  conduct,  and  of  our  life. 
If  we  deny  this,  we  certainly  have  sufficient  grounds 
for  doubting  if  we  are  Christians  at  all.  It  is  not 
thinkable  that  a  man  can  be  a  Christian  and  knowingly, 
deliberately,  and  persistently  disregard  the  rules  plainly 
stated  in  the  Bible  for  the  conduct  and  life  of  a  dis¬ 
ciple.  Therefore,  in  discussing  the  question,  May  a 
Christian  indulge  in  these  things  ?  my  one  effort  shall 
be  to  point  out  what  the  Word  of  God  teaches ;  and 
then  the  matter  will  be  submitted  to  the  individual 
reader  to  decide  whether  he  (or  she)  will  square 
his  life  by  God's  rule,  or  be  a  rule  unto  himself,  re¬ 
membering  that  he  is  accountable  to  God  and  not  to 
men. 

“Then  said  Jesus  unto  his  disciples,  If  any  man 
would  come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take 
up  his  cross,  and  follow  me”  (Matt.  16:24). 

A  religion  that  costs  a  man  nothing  is  not  worth 
having.  I  fear  that  is  the  kind  many  church  members 
have  nowadays ;  a  religion  of  selfishness  and  ease ;  a 
religion  in  which  there  is  no  denial  of  self  or  cross¬ 
bearing;  living  just  the  same  kind  of  life  they  lived 
before  they  professed  faith  in  Jesus  as  Saviour  and 
Lord ;  and  in  no  essential  particular  different  from 
that  of  their  unchristian  friends.  Jesus  said,  “Who¬ 
soever  doth  not  bear  his  own  cross,  and  come  after 
me,  cannot  be  my  disciple"  (Luke  14:27).  He  also 
said,  “If  any  man  would  come  after  me,  let  him  deny 
himself,  and  take  up  his  cross  daily,  and  follow  me” 
(Luke  9:23).  Reader,  what  has  your  religious  pro- 


152  HIS  DELATION  TO  THE  WORLD . 

fession  cost  you?  What  have  you  ever  denied  your¬ 
self  for  the  Master?  What  crosses  have  you  taken 
up  daily  for  Him  who  bore  the  Cross  for  us?  What 
sacrifices  have  you  ever  made  for  Him  who  was  “made 
a  curse  for  us?  for  it  is  written,  Cursed  is  every  one 
that  hangeth  on  a  tree”  (Gal.  3:  13).  If  none,  then 
according  to  the  Master’s  own  words  you  are  not  His 
disciple;  even  though  you  are  a  member  of  a  church, 
having  been  baptized,  and  occasionally  partake  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  and  call  yourself  a  Christian.  None  of 
these  things,  though  right  enough  in  themselves,  can 
make  us  right  before  God. 

What  shall  the  disciple  deny  himself?  I  make  an¬ 
swer,  First.  Indulgence  in  anything  sinful,  per  se. 
“Let  him  that  stole  steal  no  more.”  “Let  the  wicked 
forsake  his  way,  and  the  unrighteous  man  his 
thoughts.”  It  is  unthinkable  that  a  man  can  continue 
in  known  and  willful  sin  and  yet  be  a  disciple  of  the 
Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  I  am  quite  sure  this 
goes  with  the  saying. 

But,  it  may  be  asked,  In  what  ways,  if  at  all,  are 
dancing,  card  playing,  and  theater  going  sinful?  A 
young  woman  once  said  to  me,  “I  am  a  Christian  and 
am  very  fond  of  dancing.  If  you  can  show  me  any 
place  in  the  Bible  where  it  says,  Thou  shall  not  dance, 
I  will  at  once  give  it  up;  because,  being  a  Christian, 
I  must  implicitly  obey  the  Word  of  God.”  I  said  to 
her  I  cannot  find  you  a  single  passage  where  it  says, 
Thou  shall  not  dance ;  but  you  must  not  conclude  on 
that  account  that  it  is  right  to  do  so.  I  cannot  find  in 
the  Bible  a  command  Thou  shalt  not  set  fire  to  vour 


CANNOT  SERVE  TWO  MASTERS. 


153 


neighbor's  house.  Would  it  be  right  therefore  to  do 
it  ?  Indeed  it  would  be  a  sin  to  do  it,  as  certainly  as  a 
violation  of  any  of  the  explicit  commands  in  the  dec¬ 
alogue.  There  are  certain  great  underlying  principles, 
that  rest  alike  upon  Sinai  and  Calvary  that  belong  to 
the  ethics  of  Christianity  as  certainly  as  the  Ten  Com¬ 
mandments,  and  are  therefore  binding  upon  the  con¬ 
science  and  life  of  the  believer. 

But  what  say  the  Scriptures?  Jesus  said,  “No  man 
can  serve  two  masters :  for  either  he  will  hate  the  one, 
and  love  the  other ;  or  else  he  will  hold  to  one,  and  de¬ 
spise  the  other."  Also  He  said,  “He  that  is  not  with 
me  is  against  me ;  and  he  that  gathereth  not  with  me 
scattereth"  (Matt.  12:30).  The  Saviour  thus  places 
a  line  of  division  between  those  who  are  His  disciples 
and  those  who  are  not.  We  are  either  for  Him  or 
against  Him.  There  is  no  middle  ground  where  one 
can  live  and  love  the  ways  and  things  of  the  world, 
and  yet  be  His  disciple.  In  I  John  2:15  it  is  said, 
“Love  not  the  world,  neither  the  things  that  are  in  the 
world.  If  any  man  love  the  world,  the  love  of  the 
Father  is  not  in  him."  The  believer  is  under  as  much 
obligation  to  recognize  and  obey  this  law  as  any  par¬ 
ticular  and  specific  commandment  of  God.  Let  us 
throw  the  light  of  God's  Word  upon  this  law  that  we 
may  see  what  it  means. 

In  Rom.  12:  2,  it  is  said,  “And  be  not  fashioned  ac¬ 
cording  to  this  world."  For  myself,  I  believe  that 
dancing,  card  playing,  and  theater  going  are  in  part 
of  the  fashion  of  this  world.  If  this  be  so,  then  to  fol¬ 
low  this  fashion  is  to  violate  the  command,  “Be  not 


154 


HIS  DELATION  TO  THE  WORLD. 


fashioned/’  etc.,  and  that  constitutes  sin  as  certainly 
as  the  violation  of  any  other  command  of  God. 

In  2  Cor.  6:  14  it  is  said,  “Be  not  unequally  yoked 
with  unbelievers.”  If  we  allow  ourselves  to  be  un¬ 
equally  yoked  with  unbelievers  we  commit  sin  as  cer¬ 
tainly  as  if  we  steal  or  lie.  We  are  under  solemn  ob¬ 
ligations  to  keep  all  God’s  commandments.  I  believe 
that  we  violate  this  command  when  we  indulge  in 
dancing,  card  playing,  and  theater  going,  with  unchris¬ 
tian  people.  Let  me  explain  why  I  think  thus.  God 
lays  down  the  rule  of  our  conduct  in  these  words, 
“Whether  therefore  ye  eat,  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  ye 
do,  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God”  (1  Cor.  10:31);  “And 
whatsoever  ye  do,  in  word  or  in  deed,  do  all  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  giving  thanks  to  God  the 
Father  through  him”  (Col.  3:  17).  If  one  can  dance, 
play  cards,  or  go  to  the  theater,  “in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,”  for  “the  glory  of  God,”  and  “give  thanks 
to  God  the  Father  through  him”  (Jesus),  it  would  be 
entirely  right  to  do  so.  But  if  not  it  would  be  a  sin  to 
do  so.  I  am  sure  these  things  cannot  be  done  in  that 
way.  Let  us  test  the  matter.  Let  me  suppose  that  I 
am  the  only  Christian  present  at  a  dancing  party. 
The  dance  is  about  to  begin,  when  I  speak  up  in  the 
hearing  of  all  present  and  say,  “Mr.  Floor  Manager, 
please  wait  a  few  moments ;  you  know  I  am  a  Chris¬ 
tian,  and  the  Bible,  which  is  the  rule  of  the  Christian’s 
conduct,  says,  ‘Whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  for  the  glory 
of  God  ...  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  giving 
thanks  to  God  the  Father.”  Now  then,  as  I  am  going 
to  engage  in  this  dance  ‘in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,’ 


MUST  GLORIFY  GOD . 


155 


and  for  the  glory  of  God,  let  us  return  thanks  unto 
God  the  Father  for  it.’’  Would  such  a  thing  be  in  place  ? 
Not  at  all.  And  why  not?  Because  the  dance  is  not 
for  the  glory  of  God,  and  cannot  be  indulged  in  “in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.”  Or,  let  me  suppose  I  am 
present  at  a  card  party  and  am  the  only  Christian 
there.  We  are  going  to  have  a  game  of  whist.  It  is 
my  deal,  and  after  shuffling  the  cards,  I  say,  “Friends, 
the  Bible  is  my  rule  of  faith  and  action ;  and  it  says, 
‘Whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  for  the  glory  of  God  .  .  . 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  giving  thanks  unto 
God  the  Father  through  him ;’  and  now,  as  I  am 
going  to  play  this  game  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  let  us  bow  our  heads  in 
prayer,  while  I  return  thanks  unto  God  the  Father,  be¬ 
fore  I  deal  the  cards/'  I  think  to  do  such  a  thing  would 
throw  a  chill  upon  the  game.  And  why  should  it,  if 
the  game  is  for  the  glory  of  God  ?  Once  again :  sup¬ 
pose  a  Christian  young  woman  has  accepted  the  invita¬ 
tion  of  an  unchristian  young  man  to  accompany  him 
to  the  theater.  At  the  appointed  hour  he  calls.  The 
young  woman  meets  him  in  the  reception  room  and 
directly  says  to  him,  “I  am  quite  ready  to  go  with 
you  save  for  one  thing;  you  know  I  am  a  Christian. 
God’s  Word  is  the  law  of  mv  conduct  and  life,  and  it 
says,  ‘Whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  for  the  glory  of  God, 
.  .  .  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  giving  thanks  unto 
God  the  Father  through  him;’  and  as  I  am  going  with 
you  to  the  theater  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  will  you  excuse  me  for  a  few 
moments  while  I  retire  to  my  closet  of  prayer  and  re- 


156  HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  WORLD . 


turn  thanks  unto  God  the  Father,  and  then  I  will  be 
ready  to  accompany  you.”  I  think  the  young  man 
would  be  somewhat  surprised.  But  why?  Simply 
because  these  pastimes  are  not  for  the  glory  of  God, 
and  cannot  be  indulged  in  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Je¬ 
sus.  Is  it  not  very  clear  that  we  are  unequally  yoked 
with  unbelievers  when  we  mingle  with  them  in  these 
things  ? 

This  is  further  indicated  by  the  fact  that  dancing, 
card-playing,  and  theater-going  church  members  sel¬ 
dom,  if  ever,  speak  with  their  unchristian  friends  with 
whom  they  associate  in  these  games  and  amusements 
about  their  soul’s  salvation.  And  yet,  as  children  of 
God,  they  are  under  solemn  obligations  to  do  so. 
Why  do  they  not  do  so?  Because  of  unequal  yoking. 
They  may  do  their  utmost  to  persuade  themselves  that 
indulgence  in  these  things  is  not  sinful ;  and  strive 
to  quiet  their  troubled  consciences  by  arguing  that  it 
is  not  their  duty  or  business  to  speak  to  their  friends 
concerning  their  soul’s  salvation;  but  the  fact  remains 
that  by  no  possibility  can  it  be  made  to  appear  that  one 
can  glorify  God  by  joining  unchristian  people  in  these 
pastimes  and  pleasures. 

God  says,  “ Whatsoever  is  not  of  faith  is  sin”  (Rom. 
14:23).  For  myself  I  have  no  doubt  about  dancing, 
card  playing,  and  theater  going  being  something  else 
than  of  the  faith  spoken  of  here.  They  certainly  are 
not  of  faith — the  faith  that  what  is  done  is  for  the 
glory  of  God.  If  this  be  true,  to  do  these  things  is  to 
commit  sin. 

In  Eph.  5:11  it  is  said,  “And  have  no  fellowship 


VILENESS  OF  THEATER. 


*57 


with  the  unfruitful  works  of  darkness,  but  rather  even 
reprove  them.”  I  am  very  sure  that  these  things  are 
of  the  unfruitful  works  of  darkness.  Without  doubt 
thousands  have  been  led  to  ruin  through  the  dance. 
Who  that  knows  anything  about  it  can  doubt  it?  It 
must  therefore  belong  to  the  unfruitful  works  of  dark¬ 
ness.  There  is  not  a  saloon,  brothel,  or  den  of  infamy 
in  which  the  cards  are  not  found.  They  are  associ¬ 
ated  with  that  which  is  vile,  sinful,  and  degrading.  If 
there  were  no  other  reason  why  I  should  have  nothing 
to  do  with  them,  these  things  would  be  quite  sufficient. 
Think  of  the  characters  blasted,  fortunes  ruined,  and 
murders  and  suicides  committed  over  cards !  and 
tell  me,  do  not  they  belong  to  the  unfruitful  works  of 
darkness?  And  the  theater!  Dumas,  who  wrote  “Ca¬ 
mille”  and  other  indecent  plays,  once  said, “You  do  well 
to  keep  your  daughters  away  from  the  theater;  for, 
when  we  write  plays  we  appeal  to  the  passions.”  If 
the  theater  is  not  a  fit  place  for  the  daughter  to  at¬ 
tend,  and  he  said  so,  and  certainly  knew,  it  is  surely 
not  a  fit  place  for  the  son.  Edwin  Booth  once  said, 
“As  long  as  every  gimcrack  that  comes  along  may 
put  upon  the  stage  what  he  pleases,  you  do  well  to 
keep  your  daughters  away  from  the  theater.”  Mary 
Anderson,  the  greatest  actress  of  this  generation,  when 
at  the  very  pinnacle  of  histrionic  fame,  and  receiving 
two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  a  night,  quit  the 
stage  forever  and  said,  “It  was  the  happiest  act  and  day 
of  my  life.”  McCready  once  said,  “I  would  not  allow 
a  daughter  of  mine  to  associate  with  theatrical  people.” 

“Under  the  auspices  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  Dr. 


158  HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  WORLD. 


Adams  lectured  upon  ‘The  Theater'  last  night  to  an 
audience  that  filled  the  opera  house.  Prefacing  his  re¬ 
marks  concerning  Shakespeare's  productions  with  a 
description  of  theaters  and  stage  methods  of  Shakes¬ 
peare's  time,  he  followed  it  with  his  caustic  scoring  of 
problem  plays:  Tt  was  in  the  Empire  Theater  in  New 
York.  Five  or  six  hundred  girls  and  young  women  of 
the  cream  of  the  social  world  witnessed  the  play.  On 
the  stage  a  man,  a  roue,  talked  to  a  woman.  Both 
flicked  ashes  from  their  cigarettes.  The  man  shot  an 
epigram  at  the  woman ;  the  woman  flashed  back.  They 
interchanged  epigrams,  and  other  characters  appeared. 
Their  conversation  was  in  epigrams,  bright,  witty,  keen, 
and — hellish,  devilish,  and  bestial.  I  want  to  say  that 
in  that  theater  I  heard  under  the  gloss  of  polished  lan¬ 
guage  and  expressive  gesture  the  exposition  of  lust 
and  vice ;  the  girls  listened  with  glistening  eyes  and 
bated  breath.  I  stood  in  the  foyer,  and  they  trooped  by 
me.  Their  glances  were  expressive  of  a  newborn 
knowledge,  the  hellish  knowledge  that  wrecks  homes 
and  destroys  peace.  Should  I  approach  your  wife  and 
by  innuendo  express  to  her  what  is  said  in  “Zaza"  and 
“The  Second  Mrs.  Tanqueray,"  you  wrould  kick  me  as 
you  would  a  cur.  If  I  in  the  suggestive  language  of 
those  plays  approached  your  fiancee,  my  life  might 
pay  the  forfeit.  Yet  you  take  your  wife  and  your 
daughter,  and  you  pay  coin,  good  coin,  to  have  them 
witness  the  animal  passion  of  men  and  women  laid 
bare  in  all  its  brutality.  I  say  to  you,  the  woman 
who  witnesses  one  of  these  plays  is  no  longer  pure 
in  mind ;  she  has  been  tainted  by  the  searing  iron 


SELF  INDULGENCE . 


*59 


of  immorality,  although  she  has  but  heard  and 
seen/  ” — Bay  City  {Mich.)  Tribune ,  Jan.  jr,  1901. 

Nine  tenths  of  the  plays  put  upon  the  modern  stage 
are  indecent,  and  the  billboards  will  prove  it.  Three 
fourths  of  theatrical  people,  in  my  judgment,  are  im¬ 
moral.  They  swear,  drink,  gamble,  care  nothing  for 
the  Church  of  God  and  other  sacred  things,  and  will 
play  on  the  Sabbath  day  when  permitted  as  quickly  as 
upon  any  other.  Without  any  doubt  the  modern  thea¬ 
ter  belongs  to  the  unfruitful  works  of  darkness.  We 
are,  therefore,  having  “fellowship  with  the  unfruitful 
works  of  darkness,”  if  we  patronize  these  things,  and 
thus  violate  the  command  of  God  not  to  do  so;  and 
we  are  not  reproving  them  as  commanded,  if  we 
indulge  ourselves  in  them ;  and  thus  again  we  violate 
a  command  of  God,  and  thus  commit  sin. 

By  these  Scriptures  (and  there  are  many  more  along 
the  same  line)  it  is  plain,  as  I  think,  that  dancing,  card 
playing,  and  theater  going  are  sinful  per  se. 

What  shall  the  disciple  deny  himself?  I  make  an¬ 
swer,  Second.  Indulgence  in  all  things  sinful  in  their 
tendency.  God  says,  “And  abstain  from  the  very  ap¬ 
pearance  of  evil.”  A  Christian  will  not  live  to  see  how 
close  he  can  live  to  sin  without  sinning;  sin  will  be  to 
him  hideous,  heinous,  and  repulsive.  He  will  loathe 
it  and  shun  it  as  one  would  a  vile  communicable 
disease.  If  he  has  not  this  thought  and  feeling  con¬ 
cerning  sin,  he  certainly  has  sufficient  grounds  for  con¬ 
cluding  that  he  is  in  a  very  low  spiritual  condition,  or 
more  likely  not  a  Christian  at  all. 

For  myself,  I  am  very  sure  that  dancing,  card  play- 


j6o 


HIS  RELA  T ION  TO  THE  WORLD . 


ing,  and  theater  going  have  a  tendency  toward  that 
which  is  sinful.  I  give  the  following  reasons  for  this 
conviction,  viz. ;  First.  One  cannot  maintain  spirit- 
ual-mindedness  and  indulge  in  these  things.  I  have 
never  known  a  spiritual-minded  person  who  indulged 
in  these  pastimes.  Second.  The  people  who  indulge 
in  these  amusements  do  not  support  their  own  church 
prayer  meeting.  They  may  occasionally  attend,  though 
very  rarely,  but  they  contribute  nothing  more  than  their 
presence  to  the  interest  of  the  occasion.  This  is  in¬ 
variably  the  rule.  Third.  The  dancing,  card-playing, 
theater-going  church  members  have,  uniformly,  a  man¬ 
ifest  unconcern  for  the  salvation  of  the  lost;  and  can¬ 
not  be  depended  upon  for  any  assistance  to  reach  such 
and  bring  them  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in 
Jesus,  in  any  effort  that  the  Church  may  make  with 
that  object  in  view.  Fourth.  The  sons  and  daugh¬ 
ters  of  such  church  members  are  the  most  difficult 
people  to  win  to  the  Saviour  to  be  found.  Fifth. 
The  Churches  that  observe  the  Lenten  season  abstain 
from  indulgence  in  these  pastimes.  And  why?  Be¬ 
cause,  so  they  think,  as  Christians  approach  the  time 
of  the  year  when  our  Lord  was  crucified  they  should 
give  themselves  to  meditation  and  prayer,  and  these 
things  prevent  such  moods  and  exercises,  thus  ac¬ 
knowledging  that  such  indulgence  is  unspiritualizing. 
Sixth.  Some  of  our  cities  have  enacted  ordinances 
forbidding  public  balls,  merely  as  a  police  measure; 
believing  as  they  do  that  they  promote  crime  and  law- 
nessness,  and  some  Roman  Catholic  Bishops  have  for¬ 
bidden  their  members  attending  public  balls  and  en- 


EVIL  OF  DANCING . 


161 


gaging  in  the  modern  round  dance  under  pain  of  de¬ 
nying  them  the  sacraments  of  the  church.  Seventh. 
Some  years  ago  the  police  commissioners  of  New 
York  city  directed  the  chief  of  police  to  ascertain 
what  were  the  causes  leading  the  many  thousands  of 
fallen  women  in  that  city  to  their  present  lives  of 
shame.  The  chief  of  police  pushed  this  investiga¬ 
tion  as  far  as  possible ;  and  in  his  report  to  the 
commissioners  made  the  following  statement :  “I 
believe  that  nine  tenths  of  the  fallen  women  in  New 
York  city,  who  had  moral  and  Christian  parents,  came 
to  their  present  lives  of  shame  through  the  modern 
round  dance.”  There  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  ten¬ 
dency  of  indulgence  in  these  things  being  toward  that 
which  is  unspiritual  and  sinful.  If  we  refuse  to  avoid 
the  appearance  of  evil  we  commit  sin.  That  which 
tends  toward  evil  must  in  some  sense  and  degree  par¬ 
take  of  the  nature  of  evil,  and  should  therefore  be 
avoided.  We  are  also  commanded  to  “lay  aside  every 
weight”  as  well  as  “the  sin  which  doth  so  easily  beset 
us”  (Heb.  12:  2).  Here  are  some  things  called  weights, 
as  distinguished  from  sins,  that  hinder  the  Christian 
from  running  the  race  set  before  us.  Whether  dancing, 
card  playing,  and  theater  going  are  referred  to  in  this 
passage  does  not  matter.  We  do  certainly  know  they 
are  weights  that  handicap  the  Christian  so  that  he 
cannot  run  as  he  should.  If  he  refuses  to  lay  aside 
any  weight  he  thereby  disobeys  that  command  of  God 
and  thus  commits  sin  per  se. 

What  shall  the  disciple  deny  himself?  I  make  an¬ 
swer,  Third.  Indulgence  in  all  things  that  will  mar  or 
11 


162 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  WORLD . 


destroy  his  influence  for  good.  It  is  most  certainly 
true  that  unchristian  people  everywhere  believe  that 
Christians  should  not  dance,  play  cards,  or  go  to  the 
theater.  The  Christian  that  fails  to  respect  this  con¬ 
viction  will  soon  discover  that  he  has  no  influence  over 
his  unsaved  kindred  and  friends  to  win  them  to  the 
merciful  Saviour.  Here,  without  doubt,  is  where  the 
real  reason  is  to  be  found  as  to  why  the  Church  is 
having  so  little  success  in  bringing  the  perishing  to 
Jesus.  We  may  say  the  world  is  crooked  and  perverse. 
But  we  cannot  truthfully  say  they  are  not  right  in  such 
view  of  the  case.  But  Christians  are  exhorted  to  “be 
blameless  and  harmless,  children  of  God  without  blem¬ 
ish  in  the  midst  of  a  crooked  and  perverse  generation, 
among  whom  ye  are  seen  as  lights  in  the  world,  hold¬ 
ing  forth  the  word  of  life”  (Phil  2:15,  16).  We  may 
not  insult  Almighty  God,  as  did  the  first  murderer, 
by  asking,  “Am  I  my  brother's  keeper?”  We  are  our 
brother's  keeper.  We  may  not  escape  our  responsibil¬ 
ity  by  propounding  such  a  question ;  for  we  are  most 
surely  accountable  to  God  for  the  influence  we  exert 
over  the  thoughts  and  lives  of  the  unsaved  all  about 
us.  Paul  said,  “It  is  good  not  to  eat  flesh,  nor  to 
drink  wine,  nor  to  do  anything  whereby  thy  brother 
stumbleth”  (Rom.  14:  21)  ;  and,  “Take  heed  lest  by 
any  means  this  liberty  of  yours  become  a  stumbling- 
block  to  the  weak.  For  if  a  man  see  thee  which  hast 
knowledge  sitting  at  meat  in  an  idol's  temple,  will  not 
his  conscience,  if  he  is  weak,  be  emboldened  to  eat 
things  sacrificed  to  idols?  For  through  thy  knowledge 
he  that  is  weak  perisheth,  the  brother  for  whose  sake 


MY  BROTHER'S  KEEPER . 


163 


Christ  died.  And  thus,  sinning  against  the  brethren, 
and  wounding  their  conscience  when  it  is  weak,  ye  sin 
against  Christ.  Wherefore,  if  meat  maketh  my  brother 
to  stumble,  I  will  eat  no  flesh  for  evermore,  that  I 
make  not  my  brother  to  stumble”  (1  Cor.  8:9-13). 
Ordinarily  the  eating  of  meat  was  both  right  and  neces¬ 
sary  to  Paul ;  but  remembering  how  he  was  under  ob¬ 
ligations  to  God  to  keep  the  weak  ones  from  stumbling; 
and  how  if  by  doing  that  which  ordinarily  would  of  it¬ 
self  be  right  he  should  cause  him  to  stumble  or  wound 
his  weak  conscience,  he  would  be  sinning  against 
Christ,  he  said,  “I  will  eat  no  flesh  for  evermore.” 
Therefore,  because  of  this  law,  should  Christians  not 
dance,  play  cards,  or  attend  the  theater,  since  unchris¬ 
tian  people  everywhere  insist  that  such  things  are  in¬ 
consistent  with  the  profession  the  disciple  has  made. 
Some  years  ago  I  was  conducting  an  evangelistic  cam¬ 
paign  in  the  city  of  Charleston,  S.  C.  My  host  took 
me  one  morning  to  a  cotton  compress  and  to  the 
docks.  We  met  an  old  sea  captain,  to  whom  I  was  in¬ 
troduced.  As  we  were  coming  away  my  host  said, 
'‘That  is  a  queer  old  sea  dog.  He  has  been  sailing  be¬ 
tween  this  port  and  Liverpool  for  more  than  eight 
years.  Whenever  he  is  here  over  Sunday  he  is  sure 
to  go  to  one  of  our  churches,  both  morning  and  night, 
for  he  is  an  ardent  admirer  of  the  rector  and  very  fond 
of  his  preaching.  He  arrived  in  this  port  on  Tuesday 
of  last  week.  Saturday  night  he  went  to  the  Acad¬ 
emy  of  Music  to  see  the  play.  Directly  after  he  took 
his  seat  he  recognized  the  rector  on  the  other  side  of 
the  dress  circle.  He  rubbed  his  eyes  and  looked  again 


164  HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  WORLD . 


to  make  sure  there  could  be  no  mistake,  and  when  he 
was  certain  it  was  the  rector,  he  took  his  hat  and  left 
the  house,  mad  as  fury,  and  has  been  cursing  the 
rector  ever  since.  He  says,  ‘I  would  not  go  to  hear 
him  preach  again  to  save  his  life.’  ”  This  rector  was 
doubtless  unconscious  of  having  done  anything  wrong 
or  sinful ;  but  he  lost  his  influence  over  the  old  sea 
captain  as  certainly  as  though  he  had  been  drunk  or 
committed  murder. 

I  never  was  so  much  humiliated  as  under  the  fol¬ 
lowing  circumstances.  Nearly  thirty  years  ago,  while 
a  resident  of  Indianapolis,  I  was  well  acquainted  with 
a  bright,  though  very  wild,  young  man,  whose  father 
was  wealthy  and  of  commanding  influence.  I  talked 
with  this  young  man  many  times  about  his  soul’s  need 
and  peril.  More  than  once  he  was  so  much  moved  by 
my  words  as  to  tremble  and  weep.  He  always  thanked 
me  for  my  interest  in  and  solicitude  for  him.  We  had 
some  friends  visiting  us  who  had  been  abroad  for 
nearly  four  years.  Joseph  Jefferson  was  at  that  time 
playing  '‘Rip  Van  Winkle’’  in  our  Academy  of  Music. 
I  knew  the  play  for  I  had  seen  Jefferson  play  it  several 
times  in  my  theater-going  days.  Our  friends  had  never 
seen  it.  They  expressed  a  desire  to  go.  Out  of  polite¬ 
ness  I  accompanied  them.  I  enjoyed  the  company  and 
the  play.  I  returned  home  without  any  sense  of  wrong¬ 
doing  and  that  night  slept  the  sleep  of  the  just.  Next 
morning  as  I  was  going  to  my  office  (for  it  was  before 
I  had  entered  the  ministry)  I  met  my  young  friend ; 
and  as  had  been  my  custom  since  I  knew  him,  I  stopped 
and  shook  hands  with  him ;  and  while  our  hands  were 


LOST  IN  INFLUENCE. 


165 

clasped  I  asked,  "Ed,  when  are  you  going  to  begin 
the  Christian  life?”  A  scowl  was  upon  his  face  in  an 
instant,  and  jerking  his  hand  from  mine  he  said,  “Mr. 
Munhall,  I  want  you  never  to  speak  to  me  upon  this 
subject  again.”  In  astonishment  I  asked,  "My  dear 
fellow,  what  do  you  mean?”  He  replied,  "I  saw  you  at 
the  theater  last  night,  and  I  do  not  want  you  ever  again 
to  speak  to  me  about  my  soul.”  And  I  never  did. 
My  influence  over  him  for  good  was  as  completely  de¬ 
stroyed  as  though  he  had  seen  me  drunk  in  the  gutter. 
Some  years  afterward,  I  decided  to  go  out  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains  to  preach  to  the  miners.  His  father, 
hearing  of  it,  called  to  see  me,  and  said,  "Ed  is  out 
where  you  are  going,  I  think,  though  we  have  not 
heard  from  him  in  two  years;  will  you  not  try  to 
find  him  and  give  him  a  father’s  message?”  Of  course 
I  promised  him  I  would.  While  in  the  mountains,  I 
one  day  found  him  in  a  mining  camp,  in  a  low-down 
groggery,  sitting  upon  the  head  of  a  whisky  barrel.  I 
gave  him  his  father’s  message  and  talked  with  him  for 
a  full  hour,  but  I  said  never  a  word  to  him  concerning 
his  soul. 

I  was  conducting  some  evangelistic  meetings  in  a 
certain  city.  One  evening  in  the  after  meeting  I  was 
called  to  the  rear  part  of  the  audience  to  speak  with  a 
young  woman.  I  found  her  in  great  distress  over  her 
soul’s  needs.  She  had  recently  been  graduated  from 
Vassar  College.  Her  parents  were  wealthy,  cultivated 
people.  The  young  woman  had  expressed  a  desire  to 
see  me.  I  asked  her  right  away  what  was  her  trouble? 
Brushing  the  tears  from  her  cheeks,  she  asked,  "Mr. 


HIS  DELATION  TO  THE  WORLD . 


1 66 


Munhall,  if  I  become  a  Christian  will  I  have  to  stop 
dancing?”  I  said,  “I  will  answer  your  question  by 
asking  you  several.  Do  you  believe  there  is  any  harm 
in  dancing  ?”  “None  whatever,”  she  replied.  “Well, 
then,”  I  asked,  “why  do  you  ask  me,  ‘Will  I  have  to 
stop  it  ?’  Of  course  you  will  not  have  to  stop  it  if  there 
is  no  harm  in  it ;  but  your  question  would  indicate  that 
after  all  you  thought  that  there  was  harm  in  it.”  I 
then  asked,  “Does  your  minister  dance?”  “O  no!” 
she  replied.  “If  he  did  would  you  have  confidence  in 
him?”  She  quickly  answered,  “I  would  never  go  to 
hear  him  preach."  But  I  urged,  “If  there  is  no  harm 
in  dancing,  why  should  not  the  minister  do  it?  Has 
he  not  the  same  right  to  dance  as  the  private  member  ? 
Certainly  he  has.  If  it  is  right  for  the  member  it  is 
right  for  the  minister.  If  it  is  wrong  for  the  minister, 
and  you  have  confessed  that  it  is,  it  is  wrong  for  the 
member.’'  She  said,  “I  had  never  thought  of  that.” 
I  then  asked,  “Did  you  ever  know  a  spiritually  minded 
man,  one  who  would  do  personal  work  in  a  meeting 
of  this  sort  that  danced?”  She  answered,  “There  is 
a  gentleman  who  is  doing  personal  work  in  these  meet¬ 
ings  who  dances."  I  said,  “I  had  never  known  a  case 
of  the  kind;”  and  then  asked  her  if  she  had  any  objec¬ 
tions  to  naming  the  man.  She  said,  “No !"  and  gave 
me  his  name.  I  said  to  her, “Last  evening  there  were 
two  of  your  lady  friends  here,  and  under  conviction 
of  sin.  This  gentleman  spoke  with  them.  One  of 
them  said  to  him,  ‘Will  we  have  to  give  up  dancing?’ 
He  replied, ‘No ;  that's  old  fogy.  I  am  a  Christian  and  I 
dance.’  The  two  young  gentlemen  who  escorted  those 


PASTIMES  AND  AMUSEMENTS. 


1 6  7 

young  women  to  the  church  were  unchristian.  They 
heard  what  was  said,  for  they  occupied  the  pew  imme¬ 
diately  behind  them ;  and  at  once  they  arose  and  went 
back  near  the  doorway,  where  the  pastor  of  the  gentle¬ 
man  stood,  and  one  of  them  told  him  what  they 
had  heard,  and  then  said,  ‘Mr.  Preacher,  if  that  is 
the  kind  of  religion  you  have  in  your  church,  that’s 
the  kind  we  have  in  the  big  church,  and  we  prefer  to 
stay  where  we  are.'  ”* 

At  once  she  said,  “I  will  give  it  up!”  “Give  it  up!” 
I  said;  “give  up  the  dance  for  the  salvation  of 
your  precious  soul,  for  Christ,  for  heaven  and  an  un¬ 
fading  crown !  I  should  think  you  would,  quickly 
and  gladly  enough!”  Soon  she  was  rejoicing  in 
“the  love  of  God  which  passeth  knowledge.”  The  next 
evening,  meeting  her,  I  asked,  “Do  you  want  to 
dance  ?”  She  replied,  “O,  no !  I  hate  the  very  thought 
of  it.” 

No  one  under  conviction  desires  a  dancing,  card¬ 
playing,  and  theater-going  professor  to  tell  them  what 
they  must  do  to  be  saved;  and  most  certainly  no  one 
on  their  dying  bed  wants  such  an  one  to  minister  to 
them  the  consolations  of  the  Bible.  And  since  we  are 
accountable  to  God  for  the  kind  of  influence  we  exert 
over  our  fellow-men,  and  our  influence  for  good  is 

*  Some  two  years  afterward  I  occupied  the  pulpit  of  that  very  church,  and 
told  this  incident  without  telling  where  it  happened  or  mentioning  names.  That 
gentleman  was  present  in  the  audience.  At  the  close  of  the  service  he  approached 
me  and  asked,  “  Did  you  mean  me  ?  ”  I  responded,  11  Verily,  thou  art  the  man.” 
He  then  said,  “If  that  is  the  kind  of  influence  I  have  been  exerting  over  the  young 
men  of  this  community,  here’s  my  hand,  and  promise  that  I  have  danced  my  last 
step,  shuffled  my  last  cards,  and  gone  to  my  last  theater,  circus,  and  minstrel  enter¬ 
tainment.”  The  next  day  I  met  his  pastor,  and  when  we  shook  hands  he  said, 
“  I  am  much  obliged  to  you;  you  made  an  elder  for  our  church  last  night.” 


1 68 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  WORLD. 


most  certainly  destroyed  if  we  indulge  in  such  things, 
it  is  clearly  sinful  to  do  so. 

How  shall  the  disciple  follow  Jesus?  I  make  an¬ 
swer,  First.  In  sacrifice.  “Christ  .  .  .  gave  himself 

up  for  us,  an  offering  and  a  sacrifice  to  God"  (Eph. 
5:2).  Disciples  are  besought  “to  present  your  bodies 

a  living  sacrifice,  holy,  acceptable  unto  God,  which  is 
your  reasonable  service”  (Rom.  12:  1).  And  what  can 
be  more  reasonable  than  our  making  a  sacrifice  of  any 
and  everything  required  of  us  in  order  to  glorify  Him 
who  went  to  the  cross,  with  its  suffering,  curse,  and 
shame  for  us?  O,  shame  !  thrice  shame !  upon  us  if  we 
hesitate  for  one  moment  to  abandon  ourselves  utterly 
and  irreversibly  to  Him.  In  this  connection  it  is  well 
to  remember  His  words.  “Jesus  said,  Verily  I  say 
unto  you,  There  is  no  man  that  hath  left  house,  or 
brethren,  or  sisters,  or  mother,  or  father,  or  children, 
or  lands,  for  my  sake,  and  for  the  gospel’s  sake,  but 
he  shall  receive  a  hundredfold  now  in  this  time,  houses, 
and  brethren,  and  sisters,  and  mothers,  and  children, 
and  lands,  with  persecutions ;  and  in  the  world  to  come 
eternal  life”  (Mark  10:29,  30).  So  all  sacrifice  for 
Him  has  an  abundant  compensation.  One  hundredfold 
is  ten  thousand  per  cent.  Who  will  say  it  is  not  a 
good  investment? 

How  shall  the  disciple  follow  Him  ?  I  make  answer, 
Second.  In  service.  “For  verily  the  Son  of  man 
came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister,  and 
to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many”  (Mark  10:45). 

The  disciple  is  not  a  convert  because  he  serves ;  he 
serves  because  he  is  a  convert.  He  is  not  saved  simply 


PASTIMES  AND  AMUSEMENTS. 


169 


and  only  that  he  may  escape  hell  and  gain  heaven. 
“For  we  are  his  workmanship,  created  in  Christ  Jesus 
for  good  works,  which  God  afore  prepared  that  we 
should  walk  in  them”  (Eph.  2:10).  The  crowning 
glory  of  Christ  is  this — He  “came  not  to  be  ministered 
unto,  but  to  minister,  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for 
many.”  The  most  exalted  honor  God  can  put  upon  a 
man  is  to  associate  him  with  Himself  in  service  (John 
12:26;  2  Cor.  6:1).  We  never  can  fully  realize  and 
appreciate  the  privilege  and  dignity  of  serving  our 
Master  and  Lord.  The  highest  archangel  that  serves 
before  the  dazzling  presence  of  Jehovah  would  gladly 
leave  his  place  of  service  and  quickly  wing  his  flight 
to  earth,  and  take  the  humblest  place  in  which  any 
child  of  God  is  appointed  to  serve ;  but  no  such  dignity 
and  honor  can  be  his. 

How  SHALL  WE  SERVE? 

First.  With  newness  of  the  Spirit,  and  not 
in  oldness  of  the  letter”  (Rom.  J:  6).  It  is  not  a  legal 
service,  laborious  and  slavish,  but  a  service  of  love, 
gladsome  and  joyous. 

Second.  With  humility.  “Serving  the  Lord 
with  all  lowliness  of  mind”  (Acts  20:  19).  The  Mas¬ 
ter  said,  “Whosoever  will  be  chief  among  you,  let  him 
be  your  servant”  (Matt.  20:27).  In  washing  the  dis¬ 
ciples’  feet  He  gave  us  a  beautiful  and  striking  ex¬ 
ample.  (See  John  13:4-17.) 

Third.  By  love.  “Through  love  be  servants  one 
to  another”  (Gal.  5:13).  When  “the  love  of  God 
hath  been  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  through  the  Holy 


170 


HIS  ABLATION  TO  THE  WORLD. 


Ghost  which  was  given  unto  us’’  (Rom.  5:5),  it  be¬ 
comes  both  natural  and  easy  to  serve  one  another. 

Fourth.  Fearlessly.  “Might  serve  him  without 
fear’’  (Luke  1:74).  Why  should  we  fear  what  man 
shall  say  or  do  when  we  are  conscientiously  and  faith¬ 
fully  serving  our  Master  and  Lord?  “Fear  hath 
torment.  He  that  feareth  is  not  made  perfect  in  love” 
( 1  John  4 :  18). 

Fifth.  From  the  heart.  “Doing  the  will  of  God 
from  the  heart'’  (Eph.  6:6),  that  is,  conscientiously; 
“Not  with  eyeservice,  as  men-pleasers.’' 

Sixth.  Acceptably.  “Let  us  have  grace,  whereby 
we  may  serve  God  acceptably  with  reverence  and  god¬ 
ly  fear*’  (Heb.  12:28). 

Seventh.  Faithfully.  “Be  thou  faithful  unto 
death,  and  I  will  give  thee  the  crown  of  life”  (Rev.  2: 
10).  For  such  the  Master  will  say,  “Well  done,  good 
and  faithful  servant ;  thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few 
things,  I  will  set  thee  over  many  things:  enter  thou 
into  the  joy  of  thy  lord”  (Matt.  25 :  23). 

The  convert  should  carefully  avoid  being: 

First.  A  disobedient  servant  (Luke  12:47). 

Second.  An  “unprofitable  servant'’  (Matt.  25: 

30). 

Third.  A  “slothful  servant”  (Matt.  25:26). 

Fourth.  A  man-pleasing  servant  (Gal.  1:  10). 

Fifth.  An  “evil  servant”  (Matt.  24:48). 

Sixth.  A  “wicked  servant”  (Luke  19:22). 

The  honor  that  shall  at  last  be  put  upon  the  “good 
and  faithful  servants”  will  be  immeasurably  beyond 
any  that  earth  can  bestow,  for  the  Master  “shall  gird 


PASTIMES  AND  AMUSEMENTS,  171 

himself,  and  make  them  sit  down  to  meat,  and  shall 
come  and  serve  them’'  (Luke  12:37). 

How  shall  the  disciple  follow  Jesus?  I  make  answer, 
Third.  In  sorrow.  “He  was  despised,  and  rejected 
of  men ;  a  man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  grief.” 
He  trod  the  via  doloroso  for  us,  and  there  are  sorrow¬ 
ful  ways  for  us  to  tread.  Life  is  not  a  joke.  There 
are  dark  days  and  stormy  hours  for  every  life.  There 
are  oppressed  and  broken-hearted  ones  all  about  us. 
The  world  is  full  of  woe  and  ruin.  Life,  therefore,  is 
altogether  too  serious  to  be  dealt  with  lightly  or 
treated  in  a  trifling  manner.  Jesus  does  not  ask  us 
to  walk  where  His  holy  feet  have  not  trodden : 

“As  oft  with  worn  and  bleeding  feet 
We  tread  life’s  rugged  pathway  o’er; 

The  thought,  how  comforting  and  sweet! 

He  trod  this  very  path  before ! 

And  all  our  wants  and  wishes  knows, 

From  life’s  first  dawning  to  its  close.’’ 

We  certainly  will  never  go  to  the  dance,  if  we  follow 
Him.  The  thought  of  Him  engaging  in  a  modern 
round  dance,  or  even  being  a  patron  of  one,  is  almost 
sacrilegious.  To  think  of  Him  playing  cards  is  enough 
to  send  cold  chills  over  us.  We  certainly  know  He 
would  not  attend  upon  anything  of  the  kind.  So  we 
cannot  follow  Him  to  the  card  table.  Does  anyone  for 
a  moment  think  that  if  Jesus  were  again  among  men 
that  He  would  patronize  the  theater?  We  certainly 
know  He  would  not.  The  theater  is  wholly  repug¬ 
nant  to  the  Christ  mind  and  nature.  If,  then,  we  are 
His  followers,  we  will  not  patronize  or  frequent  such 
places. 


HIS  ABLATION  TO  THE  WORLD . 


172 

I  know  there  are  those  who  after  reading  these  pages 
will  be  led  to  think  that  happiness  and  gladness  are 
all  gone  if  we  become  followers  of  Jesus;  for  how  can 
it  be  otherwise,  they  will  reason,  if  we  must  give  up 
all  these  things  and  carry  a  cross  daily?  No  one  ever 
made  a  greater  mistake  than  to  think  thus.  One  can 
never  know  real  happiness  and  joy  until  he  becomes  a 
true  follower  of  Jesus.  Our  cross  is  found  in  our  un¬ 
willingness  to  be  and  do  just  as  He  willeth.  The  up¬ 
right  piece  of  the  cross  may  stand  for  God's  will,  the 
arms  may  represent  our  human  will.  When  our  wills 
are  at  cross  purposes  with  God's  will,  there  is  a  cross; 
but  when  our  wills  are  parallel  with  His,  one  with 
His,  the  cross  disappears.  “The  god  of  this  world 
hath  blinded  the  minds  of  the  unbelieving,  that  the 
light  of  the  gospel  of  the  glory  of  Christ,  who  is  the 
image  of  God,  should  not  dawn  upon  them”  (2  Cor. 
4:4). 

Why  should  we  be  always  wanting  a  frolicsome  time 
of  it?  Why  should  pastimes  and  pleasures  have  so 
large  a  place  in  our  thoughts  as  they  do?  It  is  surely 
a  bad  indication,  that  our  minds  so  seldom  grasp  the 
heroic  and  serious,  and  we  want  so  much  to  be  amused 
and  entertained. 

“I  do  not  ask,  O  Lord,  that  life  should  be  a  pleasant  road; 

I  do  not  ask  that  Thou  shouldst  take  from  me  aught  of  its  load ; 
I  do  not  ask  that  flowers  should  always  spring  beneath  my 
feet ; 

For  well  I  know  the  poison  and  the  sting  of  things  too  sweet. 
For  one  thing  only,  Lord,  dear  Lord !  I  plead,  lead  me  aright ! 
Though  strength  should  falter  and  though  heart  should  bleed, 
through  peace  to  light. 


PASTIMES  AND  AMUSEMENTS. 


173 


“I  do  not  ask  that  Thou  shouldst  shed  full  radiance  here; 

Give  but  a  ray  of  light,  that  I  may  tread  without  a  fear. 

1  do  not  ask  my  cross  to  understand,  my  way  to  see; 

Better  in  darkness  just  to  feel  Thy  hand  and  follow  Thee. 

Joy  is  like  restless  day,  but  peace  divine,  like  quiet  night; 

Lead  me,  O  Lord,  till  perfect  day  shall  shine  full  on  my  sight!” 

I  once  read  of  a  heathen  prince  who  was  dying.  He 
had  somewhere  heard  the  story  of  the  cross.  He  bade 
his  servants  make  one,  giving  them  the  dimensions. 
When  their  task  was  finished  they  brought  it  to  the 
prince.  At  his  command  they  lay  him  upon  it.  When 
with  outstretched  arms  his  body  rested  wholly  upon 
it  he  said,  “It  lifts  me  up !  It  lifts  me !  It  lifts — ” 
and  it  had  lifted  him  to  the  heavenlies.  And  just  so, 
if  we  bear  our  cross  gladly,  instead  of  it  being  a  great 
burden  that  shall  bear  us  to  the  earth  so  that  we  shall 
never  more  know  joy  and  gladness,  we  shall  find  that 
it  will  lift  us  from  sin  to  righteousness ;  from  condem¬ 
nation  to  justification;  from  spiritual  death  to  eternal 
life;  from  the  low,  selfish,  sordid,  sensual  things  of 
time  and  sense  to  the  pure,  unselfish  things  of  God; 
it  will  lift  us  from  hell  to  heaven.  O,  for  uncom¬ 
promising  surrender  to  be  made  conformable  to  the 
will  of  God  in  all  things!  Then  joy  unalloyed,  and 
happiness  such  as  the  world  never  had  and  never  can 
give,  will  be  ours. 

One  Dozen  and  One  Facts  Concerning  Dancing, 
Card  Playing,  and  Theater  Going. 

It  is  a  fact  that  the  three  leading  worldly  amusements  are 
card  playing,  dancing,  and  theater  going. 

It  is  a  fact  that  the  Bible  demands  that  Christians  shall  be 
separated  from  the  world.  (See  Matt.  6:  24;  John  x 7:  15,  16; 

2  Cor.  6 :  14-18 ;  James  4:4;!  John  2 :  15-17,  etc.,  etc.) 


174 


HIS  DELATION  TO  THE  WORLD . 


It  is  a  fact  that  not  a  single  evangelical  denomination  ap¬ 
proves  of  these  amusements;  and  many  of  them  have  formally 
declared  against  them. 

It  is  a  fact  that  unchristian  people,  when  brought  under 
conviction  for  sin,  invariably  believe  that  these  amusements 
should  be  renounced. 

It  is  a  fact  that  persons  desiring  to  become  Christians  never 
want  a  dancing,  card-playing,  theater-going  professor’s  assist¬ 
ance  in  learning  how. 

It  is  a  fact  that  the  worldly  minded  members  of  any  church 
contribute  little  or  nothing  to  the  spiritual  forces  and  work  of 
their  church. 

It  is  a  fact  that  any  church  sanctioning  these  amusements  is 
spiritually  inert. 

It  is  a  fact  that  unchristian  people  have  little  or  no  respect 
for  the  religious  professions  of  church  members  who  indulge 
in  these  amusements. 

It  is  a  fact  that  the  persons  most  difficult  to  win  to  Jesus 
Christ  are  the  children  of  church  members  who  approve  of 
these  pastimes. 

It  is  a  fact  that  indulgence  in  these  amusements  has  led 
multitudes  to  disgrace  and  ruin. 

It  is  a  fact  that  no  one,  in  the  dying  hour,  wants  one  who 
loves  these  things  to  pray  with  them  or  speak  to  them  of  the 
life  to  come. 

It  is  a  fact  that  church  members  given  to  these  pastimes 
have  little  knowledge  of  the  Bible  and  are  seldom  found  in 
their  church  prayer  meetings. 

It  is  a  fact  that  if  you  are  a  Christian,  and  indulge  yourself 
at  all  in  these  worldly  pleasures,  and,  for  the  honor  and  glory 
of  our  glorious  Saviour  and  Lord,  will  at  once  and  forever 
renounce  them,  you  will  have  His  sweet  approval,  the  approval 
of  your  own  conscience,  and  such  joy  as  the  world  cannot 
give  (Matt.  19:29). 

“Wherefore  come  out  from  among  them,  and  be  ye  separate, 
saith  the  Lord,  and  touch  not  the  unclean  thing;  and  I  will 
receive  you,  and  will  be  a  Father  unto  you,  and  ye  shall  be 
my  sons  and  daughters,  saith  the  Lord  Almighty”  (2  Cor. 
6:  17,  18). 

An  early  friend  of  Dr.  Josiah  G.  Holland’s  father  said,  when 
dying,  “Over  cards  I  have  murdered  time  and  lost  my  soul.” 


WHY  SHOULD  THE  CONVERT  WORK ?  175 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  Converts  Relation  to  the  Work* 

“  For  we  are  his  workmanship,  created  in  Christ  Jesus  for  good  works, 
which  God  afore  prepared  that  we  should  walk  in  them.” — Eph.  2  ;  10. 

Activity  is  the  law  of  life,  of  spiritual  as  of  phys¬ 
ical.  Life  and  inertia  are  absolutely  incompatible. 
'‘Show  me  thy  faith  apart  from  thy  works  (a  thing 
impossible)  and  I  by  my  works  will  show  thee  my 
faith”  (which  is  the  only  way  faith  can  be  manifested). 
Faith  is  a  vital  principle,  bringing  the  one  exercising 
it  whole  hearted  "to  the  obedience  of  Christ.”  Because 
of  this  it  is  written,  "Be  ye  doers  of  the  word,  and  not 
hearers  only,  deluding  your  own  selves” (James  1 :  22). 
And  "the  Word  was  made  flesh.”  Therefore  be  ye 
doers  of  Christ,  or  literally,  be  ye  imitators  of  Christ. 
Think  how  the  Master  gave  Himself  ceaselessly  in 
manifold  ministries  of  good  to  all  with  whom  He  came 
in  contact,  and  ever  remember  that  He  said,  "Not 
every  one  that  saith  unto  me,  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven ;  but  he  that  doeth  the 
will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven”  (Matt.  7:21). 

Why  should  one  be  a  doer  of  Christ? 

First.  Because  it  is  according  to  "the  law  of  the 
Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus.”  I  do  not  have  life  be¬ 
cause  I  am  a  doer  of  Christ  but  I  am  a  doer  of  Christ 
because  I  have  life.  I  once  read  of  a  man  who  under¬ 
took  to  determine  what  is  the  power  exerted  by  the 
heart  of  a  healthy,  full-grown  man ;  and  he  concluded 


176 


HIS  RE  LA  TION  TO  THE  WORK. 


that  it  was  equal  to  lifting  one  hundred  thousand 
pounds  one  foot  from  the  earth.  The  blood  in  going 
into  the  head  passes  through  the  carotid  artery  and  in 
its  backward  flow  through  the  jugular  vein.  Now 
imagine  the  flow  of  blood  backward  is  obstructed  so 
that  the  full  force  of  the  heart's  energy  is  brought  to 
bear  upon  the  under  side  of  one’s  head ;  the  probability 
is  it  would  blow  it  sky  high.  Just  so,  when  God  puts 
His  life  and  power  and  love  into  a  human  soul,  there 
must  be  an  outflowing,  an  outgoing,  or  we  will  lose 
our  spiritual  heads,  so  to  speak. 

Second.  In  order  that  we  may  have  spiritual  health 
and  growth.  Activity  is  as  necessary  to  spiritual  tone 
and  development  as  to  physical.  A  man  may  partake 
of  proper  food,  in  sufficient  quantities  at  the  right 
times,  but  if  he  fails  to  take  proper  exercise  he  will 
become  plethoric,  dyspeptic,  and  gouty.  Just  so  in  the 
spiritual  life.  The  man  who  goes  much  to  meetings 
and  spends  not  a  little  time  in  studying  his  Bible,  and 
yet  does  not  give  himself  up  to  service  as  “God  work- 
eth  in  him  both  to  will  and  to  work,  for  his  good  pleas¬ 
ure,'’  that  man  will  soon  become  odd,  crankish,  and 
censorious.  We  should  be  symmetrically  developed 
and  rightly  balanced  disciples. 

Third.  In  order  that  we  may  enjoy  ourselves.  The 
earnest,  active  Christian,  who  is  about  his  Master’s 
business,  is  without  doubt  the  happy  one.  With  the 
Psalmist  he  can  say,  “I  delight  to  do  thy  will,  O  my 
God  !"  The  world,  with  its  pastimes  and  pleasures,  has 
no  enticement  for  him.  He  has  found  the  real  source 
of  happiness  and  the  fountain  of  joy;  and  the  world's 


HO  W  SHOULD  THE  CONVERT  WORK?  1 77 


amusements  are  not  at  all  to  his  liking  since  he  knows 
by  sweet  experience  of  that  which  is  incomparably 
better. 

How  should  one  be  a  doer  of  Christ  ? 

First.  Intelligently,  (a)  He  should  study  hu¬ 
man  nature,  and  keep  posted  as  to  what  is  going  on  in 
the  world.  We  need  to  know  how  and  when  to  ap¬ 
proach  those  whom  we  want  to  win  to  the  Saviour. 
We  want  to  be  able  to  take  advantage  of  all  conditions 
and  circumstances  that  can  be  used  to  accomplish  our 
ends.  (&)  He  should  know  how  to  use  his  Bible.  His 
motto  should  be,  “Give  diligence  to  present  thyself 
approved  unto  God,  a  workman  that  needeth  not  to 
be  ashamed,  handling  aright  the  word  of  truth” (2  Tim. 
2  :  15).  There  never  was  a  time  when  the  need  of  hav¬ 
ing  intelligent  workers  in  the  Church  was  so  great  as 
now. 

Second.  Faithfully.  “It  is  required  in  stewards 
that  a  man  be  found  faithful and  believers  are  all 
“stewards  of  the  manifold  grace  of  God/’  The  weakest, 
the  humblest,  the  most  uninfluential,  as  the  world  es¬ 
timates  such  things,  can  be  faithful.  And  all  such 
meet  with  the  Divine  approval,  and  shall  at  the  last  hear 
from  the  lips  of  the  Lord,  “Well  done,  good  and  faith¬ 
ful  servant ;  thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few  things, 
I  will  set  thee  over  many  things :  enter  thou  into  the 
joy  of  thy  lord”  (Matt.  25:  21). 

Third.  Conscientiously.  While  we  are  to  “ren¬ 
der  unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar’s,”  we  are 
likewise  to  “render  unto  God  the  things  that  are 

God’s.”  The  man  who  will  remain  away  from  the 
12 


178 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  WORK. 


Sunday  services  and  the  church  prayer  meeting  be¬ 
cause  of  the  weather,  but  will  not  stay  away  from  the 
office,  store,  or  shop  though  the  weather  be  much 
worse,  has  not  a  good  conscience.  The  believer  is 
under  obligations  to  show  the  same  sort  and  degree  of 
conscientiousness  in  the  service  of  God  as  of  self. 
“Will  a  man  rob  God?  yet  ye  rob  me.  But  ye  say, 
Wherein  have  we  robbed  thee?  In  tithes  and  offer¬ 
ings.”  A  young  man  once  said  to  me :  ‘‘  When  God 
converted  me  I  promised  Him  definitely  two  things, 
viz.,  that  He  should  have  one  tenth  of  my  income ;  and 
that  I  would  never  miss  the  mid-week  prayer  meeting 
of  my  church,  unless  providentially  hindered  from  at¬ 
tending.  I  would  as  soon  think  of  using  my  employer's 
money  as  to  touch  a  penny  of  that  one  tenth ;  and  I  have 
not  missed  a  single  church  prayer  meeting,  although 
I  have  been  a  member  for  sixteen  years."  What  would 
be  the  result  if  every  church  member  had  this  degree 
of  conscientiousness?  Why,  it  is  easy  enough  to  see 
that  the  coffers  of  the  church  would  never  be  empty 
and  no  interest  crippled  for  lack  of  funds,  and  no  end 
of  work  undertaken  that  should  be  done ;  and  the 
prayer  meetings  would  fill  the  largest  rooms  in  every 
church,  and  the  Church  universal  would  throb  cease¬ 
lessly  with  intensest  spiritual  life.  Has  any  disciple 
a  right  to  be  less  conscientious  than  the  above-men¬ 
tioned  young  man?  I  am  sure  we  rob  God  if  we 
are.  Let  us  be  as  honest  in  our  dealing  with  God  as 
with  our  fellow-men.  Anything  less  is  dishonorable. 

Where  should  one  be  a  doer  of  Christ? 

First.  In  the  family,  at  home.  Every  man  ought  to 


WHERE  SHOULD  THE  CONVERT  WORK?  179 


build  over  against  his  own  house.  If  there  are  any 
members  of  the  household  unsaved,  every  reasonable 
effort  should  be  persistently  made  to  win  them  to 
Jesus  for  the  life  eternal. 

Second.  In  business.  By  treating  employees  in  a 
Christlike  manner,  and  otherwise  commending  to  them 
the  doctrines  of  God  the  Saviour.  By  inviting  them  to 
attend  church  and  encouraging  them  to  do  so.  Also 
by  using  any  means  that  may  be  wisely  employed  to 
lead  them  to  the  Saviour. 

Third.  In  the  church.  The  church  is,  or  should  be, 
a  workshop — a  place  where  there  is  something  for 
every  member  to  do — and  every  member  should  quickly 
find  out  what  that  something  is,  and  then  do  it  with  his 
might,  and  keep  at  it  unweariedly.  There  are  some 
things  every  member  can  do.  He  can  attend  the  reg¬ 
ular  services  of  the  church.  He  can  take  his  place  in 
the  Sunday  school,  as  scholar  or  teacher.  He  can  be 
cordial  to  strangers  who  come  to  church  and  ask  them 
to  come  again.  He  can  invite  his  neighbors  and  ac¬ 
quaintances  to  attend  his  church.  He  can  go  after  the 
wandering  ones  and  do  the  same  for  them.  He  can 
attend  the  social-religious  meetings  of  the  church  and 
give  a  word  of  testimony  or  lead  in  prayer  occasionally 
— or  as  often  as  is  wise.  He  can  be  on  hand  to  help 
in  special  evangelistic  meetings  and  do  whatever  is 
possible  to  make  them  successful.  He  can  give  of  his 
money  as  the  Lord  has  prospered  him.  In  the  mission. 
In  the  young  people’s  society.  There  is  work  enough, 
and  one  need  not  look  far  to  find  it,  if  only  they  have 
the  heart  to  do  it. 


i  So 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  WORK . 


Fourth.  “If  you  want  a  field  of  labor  you  can  find 
it  anywhere.”  Like  the  atmosphere  in  which  we  live, 
the  work  that  we  as  Christians  should  do  crowds  us 
on  every  side.  Men,  women,  and  children  are  per¬ 
ishing  in  sin  all  about  us,  and  the  needy,  suffering,  and 
sorrowing  are  reaching  out  their  hands  to  us  as  they 
did  to  the  merciful  Saviour  while  He  walked  among 
men. 

When  shall  one  be  a  doer  of  Christ? 

First.  Not  in  the  past,  for  that  has  irrecoverably 
gone.  Some  years  ago  I  conducted  an  evangelistic 
campaign  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.  We  were  holding  our 
afternoon  meetings  in  the  Brick  Presbyterian  Church, 
of  which  the  late  Dr.  Shaw  was  then  the  honored 
pastor.  At  the  close  of  the  meeting  one  day  I  met  a 
woman  closely  veiled  in  the  vestibule.  As  I  ap¬ 
proached  she  threw  back  her  veil  and  disclosed  a  very 
sorrowful  face.  Addressing  me,  she  asked,  “May  I 
speak  with  you  a  few  moments?”  I  said,  “Certainly!" 
We  stepped  aside  and  she  said,  “I  had  a  friend.  The 
dearest  of  my  life.  She  had  been  an  invalid  for  nearly 
twenty  years.  She  never  was  a  Christian.  Many, 
many  times  I  have  been  prompted  to  speak  to  her 
concerning  the  welfare  of  her  soul,  but  for  some  un¬ 
explainable  reason  I  never  did.  Last  evening  I  spent 
an  hour  with  her,  and  no  one  was  present  to  disturb 
our  sweet  communion.  Again  and  again  I  was  moved, 
doubtless  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  to  speak  to  her  about 
her  soul’s  salvation ;  but  I  did  not.  I  bade  her  good 
night  and  went  to  my  own  rest  only  to  learn  upon 
awaking  this  morning  that  my  friend  was  dead.  O, 


WHEN  SHOULD  THE  CONVERT  WORK .  181 


sir,  it  may  be  she  is  lost,  forever  lost!”  The  tears 
came  fast  as  she  added,  “I  would  give  this  whole  world, 
were  it  mine,  if  I  could  call  back  the  opportunity  of 
last  night!”  But  she  could  not.  The  good  that  we 
might  have  done  yesterday,  but  did  not,  must  remain 
for  evermore  undone,  since  no  one  can  do  our  work 
and  the  past  has  irrevocably  gone. 

Second.  It  may  not  be  in  the  future.  God  gives 
us  but  one  moment  at  a  time.  Our  resolves  to  do 
better  to-morrow  are  insincere,  or  unwise  and  foolish. 
God  says,  “Boast  not  thyself  of  to-morrow;  for  thou 
knowest  not  what  a  day  may  bring  forth.”  Our  lives 
are  brief  at  the  longest ;  but  they  are  quite  long  enough 
to  accomplish  all  God  would  have  us  do;  but  there  is 
no  time  to  spare.  The  past  with  its  many  unimproved 
opportunities  has  forever  fled  and  the  future  may  not 
be  ours. 

Third.  It  must  be  in  the  living  present  if  at  all. 
Jesus  said,  “We  must  work  the  works  of  him  that  sent 
me,  while  it  is  day :  the  night  cometh,  when  no  man 
can  work”  (John  9 :  4).  The  present  duty,  the  present 
work,  the  work  that  is  just  at  hand;  that  is  what 
should  command  our  thought,  time,  and  energy.  Our 
constant  inquiry  should  be,  “Lord,  what  wilt  thou 
have  me  to  do?”  And  His  answer  evermore  comes  to 
us,  “Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy 
might ;  for  there  is  no  work,  nor  device,  nor  knowl¬ 
edge,  nor  wisdom,  in  the  grave,  whither  thou  goest” 
(Eccles.  9 :  10). 


182 


HIS  RELATION  TO  THE  FUTURE, 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Convert's  Relation  to  the  Future* 

“  It  is  required  in  stewards,  that  a  man  be  found  faithful.” — i  Cor.  4  :  2. 

“  Fear  not,  little  flock  ;  for  it  is  your  Father’s  good  pleasure  to  give  you 
the  kingdom.” — Luke  12:  32. 

“  Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  the  crown  of  life.” — 
Rev.  2  :  10. 

God  has  stamped  His  creation  with  an  intelligent 
purpose.  As  we  look  about  us  it  does  not  appear  to 
be  so.  The  world's  present  turmoil  and  strife  seem 
to  prove  it  to  be  otherwise.  Nevertheless,  it  is  so;  and 
we  are  sure  that,  notwithstanding  earth’s  conflicts  and 
confusion,  God  will  most  surely  accomplish  His  sov¬ 
ereign  and  gracious  purposes  concerning  the  sons  of 
men.  If  one  goes  into  a  carpet  mill  and  stands  on 
the  wrong  side  of  the  loom,  he  will  see  nothing  but 
confusion  of  threads,  yarns,  and  colors.  If  he  passes 
to  the  other  side,  he  will  see  harmony  of  design  and 
colors.  Here  we  stand  on  the  wrong  side  of  God’s 
loom;  “We  see  in  a  mirror  darkly;”  but  we  see! 
“having  the  eyes  of  our  heart  enlightened ;”  and  we 
“know  in  part,”  but  we  know !  “that  ye  may  know  what 
is  the  hope  of  his  calling,  what  the  riches  of  the  glory, 
of  his  inheritance  in  the  saints.”  God  is  driving  the 
shuttle !  By  and  by  we  will  pass  to  the  other  side 
and  then  we  shall  see  “face  to  face  and  know  even 
as  also  we  have  been  known.” 

While  it  is  true  that  “my  thoughts  are  not  your 
thoughts,  neither  are  your  wavs  my  ways,  saith  the 


WHAT  THE  CONVERT  SHOULD  KNOW .  183 


Lord.  For  as  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth, 
so  are  my  ways  higher  than  your  ways,  and  my 
thoughts  than  your  thoughts/’  there  are  yet  some 
things  that  God  has  been  pleased  to  reveal  in  His  Holy 
Word  that  we  can,  and  therefore  should,  know.  Let 
me  call  attention  to  some  of  them.  First.  God’s  “law 
is  holy,  and  the  commandment  holy,  and  right¬ 
eous,  and  good”  (Rom.  7:12).  Second.  “Surely 
there  is  not  a  righteous  man  upon  earth,  that  doeth 
good,  and  sinneth  not*’  (Eccles.  7:20).  “If  we  say 
that  we  have  not  sinned,  we  make  him  a  liar,  and  his 
word  is  not  in  us”  (1  John  1:  10).  Third.  The  law 
is  inexorable  in  its  demands.  “Be  not  deceived ;  God  is 
not  mocked :  for  whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall 
he  also  reap”  (Gal.  6:7).  Fourth.  Every  man  is  a  free 
moral  agent  and  God  recognizes  and  respects  his  right 
of  choice.  “This  is  good  and  acceptable  in  the  sight 
of  God  our  Saviour;  who  willeth  that  all  men  should 
be  saved,  and  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth” 
(1  Tim.  2:4).  “I  call  heaven  and  earth  to  witness 
against  you  this  day,  that  I  have  set  before  thee  life 
and  death,  the  blessing  and  the  curse :  therefore  choose 
life,  that  thou  mayest  live”  (Deut.  30:  19).  “He  that 
will,  let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely”  (Rev.  22: 
17).  “And  ye  will  not  come  to  me,  that  ye  may  have 
life”  (John  5:40).  Fifth.  Since  God  is  sovereign, 

and  man  a  free  moral  agent,  “We  shall  all  stand  before 
the  judgment  seat  of  God.  For  it  is  written,  As  I  live, 

saith  the  Lord,  to  me  every  knee  shall  bow  (willingly 
or  unwillingly),  and  every  tongue  shall  confess  to 
God.  So  then  each  one  of  us  shall  give  account  of 


1 84  HIS  R ELATION  TO  THE  FUTURE. 


himself  to  God"  (Rom.  14:10-12).  Sixth.  There 
is  a  day  coming  when  the  wrongs  of  earth  shall  be 
righted:  when  “every  valley  shall  be  exalted,  and  ev¬ 
ery  mountain  and  hill  shall  be  made  low :  and  the 
crooked  shall  be  made  straight,  and  the  rough  places 
plain ;  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  be  revealed,  and 
all  flesh  shall  see  it  together’’  (Isa.  40:  4).  God  "‘hath 
appointed  a  day,  in  the  which  he  will  judge  the  world 
(the  inhabited  earth)  in  righteousness  by  the  man 
whom  he  hath  ordained”  (Acts  17:31). 

Concerning  this  last  thing,  it  is  well  for  us  to  con¬ 
sider  and  explain  some  matters.  First.  The  convert 
who  is  faithful  unto  death  shall  never  come  into  judg¬ 
ment  for  his  sins,  for  the  sufficient  reason  that  Jesus 
“put  away  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself”  (Heb.  9: 
26)  ;  being  “delivered  up  for  our  trespasses”  (Rom. 
4:  25;  “suffered  (many  ancient  authorities  read  died) 
for  sins  once,  the  righteous  for  the  unrighteous,  that 
he  might  bring  us  to  God”  (1  Pet.  3:  18)  ;  “Having 
made  peace  through  the  blood  of  his  cross”  (Col. 
1 : 20).  Therefore,  “Christ  is  the  end  of  the  law  unto 
righteousness  to  every  one  that  believeth”  (Rom. 
10:4);  “Being  justified  freely  by  his  grace  through 
the  redemption  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus:  whom  God  set 
forth  to  be  a  propitiation,  through  faith,  by  his  blood, 
to  show  his  righteousness,  because  of  the  passing  over 
of  the  sins  done  aforetime,  in  the  forbearance  of  God ; 
for  the  showing,  I  say,  of  his  righteousness  at  this 
present  season:  that  he  might  himself  be  just,  and  the 
justifier  of  him  that  hath  faith  in  Jesus.  Where  then 
is  the  glorying?  It  is  excluded.  By  what  manner  of 


THE  CONVERT' S  JUDGMENT  FOR  WORKS.  185 


law  ?  of  works  ?  Nay :  but  by  a  law  of  faith”  (Rom.  3  : 
24-27).  “There  is  therefore  now  no  condemnation 
to  them  that  are  in  Christ  Jesus.  For  the  law  of  the 
spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus  made  me  free  from  the 
law  of  sin  and  death”  (Rom.  8:  1,  2).  And  Jesus  said, 
“Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  He  that  heareth  my 
word,  and  believeth  on  him  that  sent  me,  hath  eternal 
life,  and  cometh  not  into  judgment,  but  hath  passed 
out  of  death  into  life”  (John  5:24).  It  is  not  think¬ 
able  that  after  “the  Lord  hath  laid  on  him  the  iniquities 
of  us  all,”  “Who  his  own  self  bare  our  sins  in  his  body 
upon  the  tree,”  that  He  would  so  dishonor  this  fin¬ 
ished  work  of  His  royal  Son  as  to  bring  any  repent¬ 
ant,  believing  soul  into  judgment  for  that  for  which  he 
had  already  been  judged  in  the  person  of  Jesus. 

Second.  There  is  a  future  judgment  for  the  con¬ 
vert  for  his  works,  which  will  take  place  at  the  second 
coming  of  Christ.  In  2  Cor.  5 :  10,  it  is  said,  “For  we 
must  all  be  made  manifest  before  the  judgment  seat  of 
Christ ;  that  each  one  may  receive  the  things  done  in 
the  body,  according  to  what  he  hath  done,  whether  it 
be  good  or  bad.”  Believers  are  the  “we”  spoken  of 
here.  This  pronoun  occurs  twenty-six  times  in  this 
chapter  and  in  each  instance  has  reference  to  believers ; 
those  who  “walk  by  faith,  not  by  sight ;”  who  “groan, 
longing  to  be  clothed  upon  with  our  habitation  which 
is  from  heaven.”  In  1  Cor.  3:  11-15  the  case  is  thus 
stated:  “For  other  foundation  can  no  man  lav  than 

j 

that  which  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ.  But  if  any 
man  buildeth  on  the  foundation  gold,  silver,  costly 
stones,  wood,  hay,  stubble;  each  man’s  work  shall  be 


1 86  HIS  DELATION  TO  THE  FUTURE. 


made  manifest :  for  the  day  shall  declare  it,  because 
it  is  revealed  in  fire ;  and  the  fire  itself  shall  prove  each 
man’s  work  of  what  sort  it  is.  If  any  man’s  work  shall 
abide  which  he  built  thereon,  he  shall  receive  a  re¬ 
ward.  If  any  man’s  work  shall  be  burned,  he  shall 
suffer  loss :  but  he  himself  shall  be  saved ;  yet  so  as 
through  fire.”  Our  good  works,  as  Christians,  are 
here  likened  to  gold,  silver,  and  costly  stones.  They 
will  stand  the  test,  and  for  them  we  shall  receive  a  re¬ 
ward.  The  works  that  are  not  good  works,  done  with¬ 
out  an  eye  single  to  God’s  glory,  not  undertaken  at 
His  dictation  or  prosecuted  in  His  fear,  are  likened  to 
wood,  hay,  and  stubble.  These  shall  be  burned  and 
the  doer  “shall  suffer  loss:  but  he  himself  shall  be 
saved ;  yet  so  as  through  fire.”  It  is  thus  seen  that  it 
is  not  a  judgment  for  salvation,  but  of  works;  that  the 
subject  is  saved  notwithstanding  his  bad  works,  which 
are  all  burned,  doubtless  to  his  shame  and  confusion. 
What  a  bonfire  there  will  be  on  that  day !  How  careful 
we  ought  to  be  to  make  sure  that  our  works  will  meet 
the  Divine  approval,  and  stand  the  test  of  God’s  fiery 
judgment ! 

Third.  The  convert  should  always  live  with  this 
judgment  in  view,  and  order  his  life  accordingly.  The 
Judge  Himself  puts  the  case  thus:  “Let  your  loins  be 
girded  about,  and  your  lamps  burning;  and  be  ye  your¬ 
selves  like  unto  men  looking  for  their  lord,  when  he 
shall  return  from  the  marriage  feast ;  that,  when  he 
eometh  and  knocketh,  they  may  straightway  open  unto 
him.  Blessed  are  those  servants,  whom  the  lord  when 
he  eometh  shall  find  watching:  verily  I  say  unto  you, 


THE  CONVERT  TO  BE  WATCHFUL . 


187 


that  he  shall  gird  himself,  and  make  them  sit  down  to 
meat,  and  shall  come  and  serve  them.  And  if 
he  shall  come  in  the  second  watch,  and  if  in  the 
third,  and  find  them  so,  blessed  are  those  servants. 
But  know  this,  that  if  the  master  of  the  house  had 
known  in  what  hour  the  thief  was  coming,  he 
would  have  watched,  and  not  have  left  his  house 
to  be  broken  through.  Be  ye  also  ready:  for  in  an 
hour  that  ye  think  not  the  Son  of  man  cometh” 
(Luke  12:  35-40). 

John  Calvin  well  and  truly  said,  '  Woe  to  our  stupid¬ 
ity  which  exercises  so  much  power  over  us  that  we 
never  seriously  think  about  the  coming  of  Christ,  to 
which  we  ought  to  give  our  whole  attention.” 

John  Wesley  stated  the  case  in  this  fashion:  “I 
grant,  supposing  thy  Lord  should  delay  His  coming, 
it  were  meet  and  right  to  wait  for  His  appearing,  in 
doing,  so  far  as  thou  hast  power,  whatsoever  He  hath 
commanded  thee.  But  there  is  no  necessity  for  making 
such  a  supposition.  How  knowest  thou  that  He  will 
delay  ?  Perhaps  He  will  appear  as  the  Dayspring  from 
on  high  before  the  morning  light.  O,  do  not  set  Him 
a  time ;  expect  Him  every  hour !  Now  He  is  nigh, 
even  at  the  door.” 

The  convert  can  contemplate  all  these  things  with 
complacency  and  anticipate  them  with  joy;  for  he 
knows  that  "the  firm  foundation  of  God  standeth, 
having  this  seal,  The  Lord  knoweth  them  that  are 
his”  (2  Tim.  2:  19)  ;  and  can  say  with  the  spirit  of 
final  and  complete  victory,  "I  know  whom  I  have  be¬ 
lieved,  and  I  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to  guard 


1 88  HIS  DELATION  TO  THE  FUTURE, 

that  which  I  have  committed  unto  him  against  that 
day”  (2  Tim.  1 :  12) . 

Another  thing  (the  Seventh)  the  convert  can  and 
should  know  is  this :  The  conflict  of  the  ages,  the  war 
between  Jesus  and  Satan,  will  continue  until  the  end  of 
the  age.  There  will  be  no  compromise.  It  is  a  fight 
to  the  finish.  But  our  King  will  triumph  gloriously. 
Never  forget  it !  But  it  will  be  war  until  the  end. 
Dr.  Chalmers  was  once  lecturing  before  his  students 
on  eschatology  when  a  message  called  him  suddenly 
from  the  room.  As  he  was  leaving  he  said,  “Of  one 
thing,  young  gentlemen,  you  may  be  sure ;  the  dispen¬ 
sation  of  the  Spirit  will  wind  up  with  a  smash !”  So 
the  Bible  in  Dan.  2 : 34,  35  teaches,  “Thou  sawest 
till  that  a  stone  was  cut  out  without  hands,  which  smote 
the  image  upon  his  feet  that  were  of  iron  and  clay, 
and  break  them  in  pieces.  Then  was  the  iron,  the  clay, 
the  brass,  the  silver,  and  the  gold  broken  in  pieces  to¬ 
gether,  and  became  like  the  chaff  of  the  summer 
threshing-floors ;  and  the  wind  carried  them  away,  that 
no  place  was  found  for  them :  and  the  stone  that  smote 
the  image  became  a  great  mountain,  and  it  filled  the 
whole  earth.”  Thus  it  is  seen  here  and  everywhere 
through  the  Bible  that  the  kingdom  is  ushered  in  by 
violent  judgments,  but  it  will  prevail.  Jesus  said,  “I 
came  not  to  send  peace,  but  a  sword.”  As  long  as 
Satan  is  loose  the  conflict  will  rage.  But  at  the  last 
Jesus  will  assert  His  regal  rights  and  then  shall  be 
fulfilled  this  prediction:  “And  out  of  his  mouth  pro- 
ceedeth  a  sharp  sword,  that  with  it  he  should  smite 
the  nations:  and  he  shall  rule  them  with  a  rod  of  iron: 


HE  SHOULD  NOT  BE  DECEIVED . 


189 


and  he  treadeth  the  winepress  of  the  fierceness  of  the 
wrath  of  Almighty  God”  (Rev.  19:  15). 

The  convert  should  not  be  deceived  by  the  much 
talk  that  is  being  indulged  in  just  now  about  twentieth 
century  things.  They  say  the  world  has  made  such 
marvelous  progress  that  it  has  outgrown  the  Bible  and 
the  religion  of  the  fathers,  and  man  does  not  any  more 
need  regeneration ;  and  a  so-called  twentieth  century 
religion  has  been  invented,  that  eliminates  all  that  is 
distasteful  to  the  natural  man  from  the  religion  of 
the  Bible,  making  it  all  sweetness  and  light ;  and 
through  sociological  clubs  and  rules  heavenly  condi¬ 
tions  are  to  be  brought  about  before  the  century  ends. 
It  all  seems  very  lovely  and  ministers  to  the  pride  of 
man ;  but  it  is  of  the  devil.  Twentieth  century  sin  will 
be  just  like  the  sin  of  the  past  centuries,  excepting 
that  it  will  be  more  intense;  “But  evil  men  and  im¬ 
postors  shall  wax  worse  and  worse,  deceiving  and  be¬ 
ing  deceived”  (2  Tim.  3:  13).  The  fires  of  hell  will 
burn  just  as  fiercely  in  the  twentieth  century  as  ever, 
for  Jesus  declared  those  fires  are  “eternal”  and  “un¬ 
quenchable.”  Twentieth  century  sinners,  if  saved  at 
all,  must  be  saved  in  the  same  old  way,  “Through 
repentance  toward  God  and  faith  toward  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ”  (Acts  20:21).  “And  in  none  other  is 
there  salvation :  for  neither  is  there  any  other  name 
under  heaven,  that  is  given  among  men,  wherein  we 
must  be  saved”  (Acts  4:  12).  Sociological  rules,  hu¬ 
manitarian  enterprises,  and  ethical  and  esthetic  cul¬ 
ture  are  all  well  enough  in  their  way;  but  that  they 
will  bring  in  the  millennium  is  as  baseless  an  expec- 


190 


HIS  RELA  TION  TO  THE  FUTURE . 


tation  as  man  could  possibly  cherish.  In  spite  of  all 
kind-hearted  and  well-meaning  men  can  possibly  do 
(and  every  man  is  under  obligations  to  God  to  do  his 
utmost  to  make  the  world  better),  there  will  be  heart¬ 
ache  in  the  twentieth  century,  and  on  until  the  end  of 
the  age;  and  war,  and  famine,  and  pestilence,  and 
earthquake,  and  sea  roaring,  and  men’s  hearts  failing 
them  for  fear.  “But  know  this,  that  in  the  last  days 
grievous  times  shall  come.  For  men  shall  be  lovers  of 
self,  lovers  of  money,  boastful,  haughty,  railers,  dis¬ 
obedient  to  parents,  unthankful,  unholy,  without  nat¬ 
ural  affection,  implacable,  slanderers,  without  self-con¬ 
trol,  fierce,  no  lovers  of  good,  traitors,  headstrong, 
puffed  up,  lovers  of  pleasure  more  than  lovers  of  God ; 
holding  a  form  of  godliness,  but  having  denied  the 
power  thereof”  (1  Tim.  3:  1-5).  Bishop  Wescott  has 
called  attention  to  the  fact  that  eight  of  the  things  men¬ 
tioned  in  this  list  of  the  things  that  will  be  character¬ 
istic  of  the  last  days  of  this  age  are  identical  in  the 
Greek  with  eight  things  mentioned  in  the  first  chapter 
of  Romans  as  characteristic  of  the  antediluvians. 

The  apostle  Paul  thus  states  the  case:  “For  I  reckon 
that  the  sufferings  of  this  present  time  are  not  worthy 
to  be  compared  with  the  glory  which  shall  be  revealed 
to  usward.  For  the  earnest  expectation  of  the  creation 
waiteth  for  the  revealing  of  the  sons  of  God.  For  the 
creation  was  subject  to  vanity,  not  of  its  own  will,  but 
by  reason  of  him  who  subjected  it,  in  hope  that  the  cre¬ 
ation  itself  also  shall  be  delivered  from  the  bondage  of 
corruption  into  the  liberty  of  the  glory  of  the  children 
of  God.  For  we  know  that  the  whole  creation  groaneth 


WARS  AND  TUMULTS . 


191 

and  travaileth  in  pain  together  until  now.  And  not 
only  so,  but  ourselves  also,  which  have  the  first  fruits 
of  the  Spirit,  even  we  ourselves  groan  within  ourselves, 
waiting  for  our  adoption,  to  wit,  the  redemption  of 
our  body.  For  by  hope  were  we  saved ;  but  hope 
that  is  seen  is  not  hope :  for  who  hopeth  for  that  which 
he  seeth?  But  if  we  hope  for  that  which  we  see  not, 
then  do  we  with  patience  wait  for  it”  (Rom.  8:  18-25). 
The  curse  will  not  be  removed  until  Jesus  shall  return 
and  cut  the  work  short  in  righteousness.  Not  until 
then  shall  men  '‘beat  their  swords  into  plowshares, 
and  their  spears  into  pruning-hooks ;”  and  "nation  shall 
not  lift  up  sword  against  nation,  neither  shall  they 
learn  war  any  more”  (Isa.  2:4). 

Representatives  of  the  leading  nations  recently  gath¬ 
ered  at  The  Hague,  and  in  "The  House  in  the  Woods” 
they  resolved  that  there  should  be  no  more  war;  and 
immediately  the  nations  they  represented  increased 
the  fighting  strength  of  their  armies  and  ordered  ad¬ 
ditional  war  ships  and  armaments;  and  before  the 
commissioners  had  reached  their  homes  the  thunder  of 
warring  guns  was  heard  in  China,  South  Africa,  and 
the  Philippines.  Jesus  said,  "And  ye  shall  hear  of 
wars  and  rumors  of  wars :  see  that  ye  be  not  troubled ; 
for  these  things  must  needs  come  to  pass ;  but  the  end 
is  not  yet.  For  nation  shall  rise  against  nation,  and 
kingdom  against  kingdom ;  and  there  shall  be  famines 
and  earthquakes  in  divers  places.  But  all  these  things 
are  the  beginning  of  travail.  .  .  .  But  immediately, 
after  the  tribulation  of  those  days,  the  sun  shall  be 
darkened,  and  the  moon  shall  not  give  her  light,  and 


192 


HIS  DELATION  TO  THE  FUTURE . 


the  stars  shall  fall  from  heaven,  and  the  powers  of  the 
heavens  shall  be  shaken :  and  then  shall  appear  the  sign 
of  the  Son  of  man  in  heaven :  and  then  shall  all  the 
tribes  of  the  earth  mourn,  and  they  shall  see  the  Son 
of  man  coming  on  the  clouds  of  heaven  with  power  and 
great  glory.  And  he  shall  send  forth  his  angels  with 
a  great  sound  of  a  trumpet,  and  they  shall  gather  to¬ 
gether  his  elect  from  the  four  winds,  from  one  end  of 
heaven  to  the  other"  (Matt.  24:6-8,  29-31). 

So  we  learn  from  the  sacred  Book  that  to  the  very 
last  the  curse  shall  remain  upon  nature,  and  that  there 

shall  be  sin,  war,  pestilence,  famine,  sorrow,  heart- 

• 

ache,  and  death.  But  when  Jesus  comes,  the  righteous 
dead  shall  be  raised  and  the  living  righteous  changed 
(1  Thess.  4:  16,  1 7),  and  then  judged  for  their  works 
(Matt.  25:13-30);  Satan  be  disposed  of  (Rev.  20: 
1-3,  10)  ;  the  nations  that  reject  Him  judged  (Matt. 
25  :  31-46),  and  also  the  wicked  dead  (Rev.  20:  1 1-15)  ; 
the  cosmic  changes  will  take  place  (Mark  13 :  24,  25)  ; 
and  then,  and  not  until  then,  will  it  be  true,  '‘There 
shall  be  no  curse  any  more”  (Rev.  22:3).  Then  shall 
be  fulfilled  these  words  spoken  by  the  prophet  Isaiah: 
‘‘And  the  wolf  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb,  and  the 
leopard  shall  lie  down  with  the  kid ;  and  the  calf  and 
the  young  lion  and  the  fading  together ;  and  a  little 
child  shall  lead  them.  And  the  cow  and  the  bear  shall 
feed ;  and  their  young  ones  shall  lie  down  together : 
and  the  lion  shall  eat  straw  like  the  ox.  And  the  suck¬ 
ing  child  shall  play  on  the  hole  of  the  asp,  and  the 
weaned  child  shall  put  his  hand  on  the  adder's  den. 
They  shall  not  hurt  or  destroy  in  all  my  holy  moun- 


THE  CONVERT  NOTHING  TO  FEAR. 


193 


tain:  for  the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of 
the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea”  (Isa.  11 :  6-9). 

Meanwhile,  no  matter  what  betides,  trusting  the  cov¬ 
enant,  keeping  God,  the  convert  can  say  with  the 
Psalmist  of  old,  “God  is  our  refuge  and  strength,  a 
very  present  help  in  trouble.  Therefore  will  we  not 
fear,  though  the  earth  do  change,  and  though  the 
mountains  be  moved  in  the  heart  of  the  seas;  though 
the  waters  thereof  roar  and  be  troubled,  though  the 
mountains  shake  with  the  swelling  thereof”  (Psa. 
46: 1-3). 

Here  is  a  little  picture  of  the  situation:  “And 
straightway  he  constrained  his  disciples  to  enter  into 
the  boat,  and  to  go  before  him  unto  the  other  side  to 
Bethsaida,  while  he  himself  sendeth  the  multitude 
away.  And  after  he  had  taken  leave  of  them,  he  de¬ 
parted  into  the  mountain  to  pray.  And  when  even 
was  come,  the  boat  was  in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  and 
he  alone  on  the  land.  And  seeing  them  distressed  in 
rowing,  for  the  wind  was  contrary  unto  them,  about 
the  fourth  watch  of  the  night  he  cometh  unto  them, 
walking  on  the  sea:  and  he  would  have  passed  by 
them :  but  they,  when  they  saw  him  walking  on  the  sea, 
supposed  that  it  was  an  apparition,  and  cried  out :  for 
they  all  saw  him,  and  were  troubled.  But  he  straight¬ 
way  spake  with  them,  and  saith  unto  them,  Be  of  good 
cheer :  it  is  I ;  be  not  afraid.  And  he  went  up  unto 
them  into  the  boat;  and  the  wind  ceased”  (Mark  6: 

45-50- 

The  disciples  toiling  in  the  night  and  storm  upon 

the  unfriendly  sea  very  truly  represents  the  Church 

13 


194 


HIS  DELATION  TO  THE  FUTURE, , 


in  this  world  and  time.  The  Master  had  gone  away 
from  them,  and  He  is  now  absent  from  His  waiting 
Church.  But  He  was  not  unmindful  of  them.  How 
could  He  be?  Nor  is  He  now.  In  the  darkest  hour, 
when  the  storm  was  fiercest,  He  appeared  to  them. 
And  so  will  it  be  to  His  own  in  this  age.  They  were 
watching  for  Him;  and  so  should  all  His  disciples. 
And  when  He  came  to  them  the  wind  ceased.  And 
when  He  again  comes  there  will  be  an  end  to  toil,  and 
no  more  storm  and  night.  O,  praises  to  Him  for  this 
“blessed  hope !” 

It  remains  for  the  convert,  the  while  he  trusts  Jesus, 
to  keep  that  which  he  has  committed  unto  Him  against 
that  day,  with  unquestioning  faith,  to  Watch,  and 
Work,  and  Pray.  And  he  may  be  “confident  of  this 
very  thing,  that  he  which  began  a  good  work  in  you 
will  perfect  it  until  the  day  of  Jesus  Christ”  (Phil. 
1:6).  Amen! 


I 


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UNIVERSITY  OP  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


3  0112  069912407 


